Oh, The Tragedy of it All
by SpringTime7
Summary: You can call me melodramatic if you want, but you would be too if you were having the year that I was. My boyfriend dumped me, my dorm mate is she-devil, and I don't even want to think about what my mum was doing with Mr. Malfoy all those years ago.
1. A Game of Numbers

**A/N: Finally, the sequel that I promised is up. Sorry for any delay, but we did find out that the Sproggy is a boy! We are very excited, now to just get my house complete.**

**If you didn't read Regretfully Yours that's okay, it is not necessary, you will only miss out on minor inside things and some OC background. Though if you want to go and check it out that would be cool ****The Slash warning is only there for minor mentioning of same sex interests, there will be no actual slash portrayal.**

It had been a month, an entire month, since I had last seen Seven. It was the longest we had gone without each other since getting together in fourth year. It was horrible. Don't get me wrong, France was beautiful and fun, but Seven wasn't there. How was I supposed to really enjoy it without my boyfriend? Which is why I so excited when September 1st finally arrived.

I entered the platform 9 and 3/4 and was inundated with sounds and smells that had become so familiar to me after five previous years of boarding this train bound for Hogwarts.

"ROSE!" I heard a screech from behind me and then felt a large weight rush into my back. I stumbled forward a bit and then turned to see one of my best friends, Six, standing before me. I looked over her shoulder, knowing that where there was a Six, there would be a Seven. I was right. Behind her, with his back straight and his black hair sticking up, was Seven. It was rude, I realize this, but I stepped away from Six's embrace and practically threw her aside to get to her twin brother.

He smiled at me in that half smile kind of way that had always made my heart melt, and I ran to him, wrapping my arms tightly around his middle. I leaned up to kiss him, but his mouth was firm and unyielding.

"Hey, can't you wait until I'm gone at least?" My father's voice called from over my shoulder.

No wonder Seven was so stiff. My father had never really seemed to take to Seven. Six he loved, but Seven was the bloke who was trying to corrupt his little girl. Not that he had to try too hard; I will admit that I was a more than willing participant on several occasions.

"Sorry, Dad," I answered as I shot my father an innocent smile. I grabbed Seven's hand and stood beside him as my father approached with the trunk I had abandoned upon seeing Seven.

"I doubt it," he said. Though his voice was firm, his eyes continued to twinkle at me. There was no question about it, I was definitely daddy's little girl.

Seven's hand didn't relax even after my father left to tend to my brother Hugo. I hated when he was tense like this.

"How was France?" Six asked as she pushed her black fringe away from her dark eyes, showing off her heart-shaped face.

"It was okay, though I missed you guys." I squeezed Seven's hand to let him know he was missed a little bit more.

"I'll get our stuff onto the train," he said as he broke away from me and began collecting our trunks. His voice sounded so wonderfully familiar, even if the first words he had said to me were about luggage.

When he was out of earshot I turned to Six, "Is he okay?"

"He's been a grump all week. I'm sure it's nothing, probably just not excited about going back to school. Mum 'n Dad have been really ticked that he isn't continuing with Arithmancy for NEWTS." Six linked her arm with mine and we made our way to the train.

Six and Seven's parents were noted experts in Arithmancy. In fact, they were the writers of my text book for last year's class. They even went as far as to name all ten of their children numbers; One through Ten to be exact. Five graduated last year from Hogwarts, she was starting at University this semester with a major in Arithmancy, and their youngest brother Ten was just starting Hogwarts this year. I could see Ten standing around with his mum and Eight and Nine, all preparing to board the train. I didn't bother to say hi, there was no point. Six and Seven's parents weren't the social type and barely even interacted with their children. In fact, I could tell that it was Eight helping to get Ten's things together while their mum just watched on in disinterest.

We found the compartment my cousin Al occupied with his best friend Gordan. Seven was stowing our trunks above Al's head. We joined them and I sat down leaving Seven's usual space beside the window vacant.

"Hey Rosie Posie," Gordan's pubescent voice broke. He had grown an inch over the summer, something I am sure that he was ecstatic about. Poor guy had been the last one to go through puberty of all the sixth years and was still averaging five foot five inches, even with his new spurt.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Six crossed her arms in indignation.

"Sorry, didn't see you there Six. Rose's hair blocked the view." He winked at her and Six visibly relaxed her pose, though she still held a scowl made just for him.

"Hey! My hair is not that bad today." I brushed my fingers through the messy curls in an attempt to flatten it a bit more.

"It looks fine," Seven said to me as he sat down in the seat that I had left open for him. He wrapped his arm across the top of the bench and I snuggled into the space left between his body and arm. His body was still stiff, but I hoped that the farther away we got from his parents the more relaxed he would become. I hoped in vain. He spent most of the train ride staring out of the window, only piping up to respond to a direct question, and even then his answers were short.

Al and Gordan shared questioning looks with both me and Six, neither one of us able to relay anything. It was the most uncomfortable train ride in all of my years of riding on the Hogwarts Express. That included the one in which I was forced to endure Al's horrible flirting with Hollace Van Strauss, who was only sitting with us to get closer to Jasper Hart, one of my older cousin James' friends.

I tried to hold Seven back when everyone was exiting the train, but he said that he needed to go and take care of his prefect duties, which was crap since he hadn't been taking care of them all train ride. I let it slide, I knew I would get answers from him soon enough. I caught up to Al, Gordie and Six when they were entering one of the horseless carriages that pulled us towards the castle.

"So, what's up with Sev?" Al asked both me and Six once the carriage doors had closed.

She shrugged and just said the same thing that she had told me before boarding the train.

The tension that had existed in the train compartment had eased, though I still felt wary of whatever was bothering Seven. It wasn't like him to be so cold, and my mind kept drifting towards worse and worse possibilities. Six's excuse seemed valid enough, and it wasn't like she was known to lie, but Seven usually didn't let his parent's get to him. Perhaps he didn't get the OWL scores that he had hoped for. His letters had been awfully quiet on that front. Though, his letters had been quiet in general this summer. Mostly filled with 'I miss you's' and 'wish you were here's', but void of most of their open communications of the past.

Then my mind drifted onto the forbidden idea of him having met someone else. I mean, it had been a long month apart, what if some scarlet woman came onto him and he was unable to resist her wiles? That was the worst case scenario, and I brushed it aside easily. If there was one thing I knew about Seven, it was that he was not the cheating kind. Last year when James was caught sneaking off with a fifth year Ravenclaw behind his girlfriend Ivy Thomas' back, Seven wouldn't talk to him for weeks. Even Ivy didn't seem to be too sloughed off about it. Though I think that was because she had been harboring a bit of a crush on Jasper Hart, not that I blame her. That bloke was pretty fit.

The carriage stopped abruptly and all of us were jostled a bit. Six's hand, which had grasped onto Gordie for stability was immediately withdrawn. When I exited the carriage I scanned the crowed for Seven but saw no sign of him. Damn! I would have to wait until after the feast then. I hate waiting.

Six and I pushed through the doors of the Great Hall and fended our way to the Slytherin table as Al and Gordie headed in the opposite direction. It didn't normally affect me, the fact that Al, Gordie, Seven and most of my family were all in different houses than I was, but feasts tended to be real suck fests. It was the only time we were really required to sit with our own houses. Not that anything was wrong with being in Slytherin, or at least that is what my mum tells me. My father, however, loves to make digs about my house. He loves me, I know he does, but I can also tell that he was rather disappointed that neither of his kids ended up in Gryffindor. Not to mention the fact that I wound up in his rival house. Hugo ended up in Ravenclaw; he was a right genius. It was a bit annoying actually.

Six and I sat across from Tabitha Avery. She was in our year and, considering that her grandfather was a Death Eater, she came out pretty normal except her whole anti-anyone not in Slytherin thing. But nobody's perfect.

"Hey, Tabs. How was your summer?" Six asked as we took our seats on the bench.

She flipped her green streaked black hair behind her shoulder and scowled. "Just grand. I got to spend it re-stocking the shelves in Zonko's. Da' made me get a job in order to teach me responsibility, but really he just wanted to spend time with the new bird he's been seeing. Stupid prat."

I was prevented from having to respond to that by Professor Longbottom entering with a bunch of first years. I spotted little Ten right away, his eyes taking in the enchanted ceiling with awe and wonderment. It brought back memories of my first day at Hogwarts, which in all actuality was pretty terrifying, even more so after my own sorting. I noticed that only muggleborns seemed to be able to keep their mouths closed, but perhaps because they didn't really understand the significance of a Weasley ending up a Slytherin. I remember rushing towards the back of the table, head down and heart racing. Tears pooled in my eyes. After years of being told how horrible it was to be a Slytherin, I was terrified. Only one set of eyes seemed at all sympathetic. Six was the very first friend I had made all on my own. I had my family and then I had family friends; those people who had been in my life so long that I don't remember ever actually meeting them. Six and I were like kindred spirits, each of us the only one in our over large families to be sorted in Slytherin.

"Deciles, Ten," Professor Longbottom called out and little Ten shuffled up to the stool that held the ragged, old sorting hat. It was quiet in the hall except for the scattered whispering of fellow classmates who were anxious for the sorting to be over and the feast to actually begin.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted and our table roared with applause, Six and I the loudest of the bunch.

Ten rushed to our side and plopped down in between Six and myself.

"'Bout time one of my siblings came and joined me." Six beamed at her brother.

"Whatever, just glad I am not in Hufflepuff with Eight."

"Don't blame you," it was Tabby who spoke up this time. "Those Puffers are horrible."

Really, she was a nice girl, er... sort of.

"Well, it's good to have you, even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with Hufflepuff." I gave Tabby a squinty glare; she just shrugged and turned back towards the sorting. There was definitely no getting through to that girl.

I have too many friends in Puff to be anti-badger. Speaking of which, I looked over to the Puff table and saw Annie Wentworth, short brown hair curled expertly underneath, sitting with Lysander Scamander, the blonde Scamander twin. His brother Lorcan was the dark one, dark eyes, tanned skin, dark curly hair, and looked just like his dad. Lysander took after his mum, Luna.

Lorcan was in Ravenclaw. I glanced over to that table and saw Lorcan staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression on his face. Nearby one of my other best friends, Adrianna Macmillan, was flirting shamelessly with a seventh year. She flicked her long blonde hair to the side and curled a strand around her dainty pointer finger.

Ade and I went back to before I was even born. My mum and her mum had gone to Hogwarts together, but had never got on until after school when they both had become obscenely pregnant. Ade was a year ahead of me, but her brother Bertram was in my year; in fact he was in my house. Bertram and I, however, were not as close. I didn't technically have anything against the bloke, he was practically like a brother to me, but he reminded me too much of my Uncle Percy, my least favorite Uncle. It must be the glasses, because no one can be as a big of a prat as Uncle Percy.

The sorting seemed to drag on forever, and my stomach grumbled in a not too silent way.

"What?" I asked Six as she gave me the 'did that noise just really come from you?' look. I don't know why she should be so surprised; my body had a plethora of annoyingly loud obnoxious noises that it could make, usually not at my own discretion.

"Nothing," she turned back to the sorting as the final first year took the hat to her head. It sank precariously over her ears and covered the poor girl's eyes. Her short brown curls poked out at the bottom.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted, and cheers erupted from the table nearby.

The girl whipped the hat off and bounded to the 'Claws, where she plopped by the already sorted firsties.

Ah, now comes the good part. The new Headmaster will speak. Nothing too special about the speech itself, mostly I was looking forward to viewing Professor Barclay a.k.a Professor Hotness. Listen, I am not normally into older blokes, but there is always an exception and Professor Barclay was it. From his dark auburn hair that was graying slightly near his temples, to his square jaw and small wrinkles around his eyes, the man was fit. I wasn't the only one who became more focused as Hotness approached the dais. Almost every girl, and a few guys, suddenly grew very eager to hear everything that was to be said.

"As you all are probably aware, Professor McGonagall has decided to retire. The board, in their infinite wisdom, has decided that I would make a good Headmaster. I hope not to let them down." A couple girls giggled, but they were hushed by the more avid listeners. "I would also like to introduce your new Defense Professor that will be taking my place, Professor Vance." A woman who looked to be no older than 25 stood, her raven black hair cut just above her ears.

There was light applause before Headmaster Hotness started again. "We begin this school year ready and eager to learn more about our magical abilities, but I want to warn those of you are new, and perhaps those who are not so new," at this he looked pointedly at my cousins Lucy and Molly-how Percy had two such daughters, I will never know- "that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, and that the list of those things not allowed in the castle can be found on Filch's office door. If you want to know where that is, just throw a Fanged Frisbee in the hallway and you will be directed there soon enough." Even more giggles this time. Okay, yes the man was good looking, but c'mon.... laughing at that joke was just lame.

"Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will be held in two weeks. Your team Captains will be posting their schedules for you in a couple of days. Now, eat up." He sat down and the wonderful food provided to us by those glorious house elves appeared atop our table. I could hardly contain myself from grabbing the largest drumstick available. Okay, who am I kidding, I couldn't contain myself, and why should I? I am still a growing girl. It isn't right letting us starve like that.

I could hear other people around me starting conversations, discussing the 'new blood' or Headmaster Hotness, but I did not participate. One, my mouth was full; two, my mind was much more focused on what in the world could be bothering Seven. I had tried to catch his eye several times, but it was like he was purposely avoiding my glances. What if he _had_ met someone else? Suddenly I didn't feel so hungry anymore. I lay down my fork full of mashed potatoes.

"You okay?" Six asked.

I nodded, unable to do anything else. The idea of him with someone else would not be brushed aside any longer and bile started rising in my throat.

"You don't look so good, Rose." Six spoke loud enough that I noticed a couple of heads peak up and look over. Scorpius Malfoy's eyebrows rose slightly and Hollace Van Strauss shot me a baleful glare. Great, now everyone would hear how I got sick at the feast. Hollace V was the bane of my existence I swear.

"I'm fine," I gritted through my teeth, the sick feeling being squelched by the idea wiping that stupid smirk off of Hollace's smug little face.

I didn't even bother with the pudding, which was really depressing me since there were some of my favorites there. Perhaps I would just pop on down to the kitchens later. I knew the sickness would pass once I found out what was really going on with Sev.

The feast began to wrap up, and Hotness stood once more to release us all. Everyone's eyes seemed to be glazed over from being so sated, so it was a good thing that the new Headmaster decided to keep it short and just directed all first years to their house prefects. Before the Headmaster had officially sent us off to our dorms, I jumped up and sprinted over to the Gryffindor table just in time to catch Seven directing some firsties towards the doorway.

"Can we talk?" I asked as he guided a rather scrawny looking kid towards the double doors.

"Not now Rose, I have to get these kids up to the dorm." His voice was calm, though it still held that reserve that I had been feeling all day.

"I know that. I meant after." I looked up and gave him my puppy dog eyes, which usually got him laughing, though not tonight apparently.

"I guess so; meet you in the Entrance Hall in half an hour." He walked away after the scrawny kid.

"Yeah, sounds good." I mumbled to myself.

"Talking to yourself again? You know that's the first sign of insanity." Lucy smirked at me, Molly not far behind. It was almost uncanny how much alike those two looked, and acted actually. They could almost be twins; both were even born on the same day, just a year apart. I am pretty sure that they are Bill's kids though, because really, who wants to procreate with Uncle Percy?

"Yeah, don't want to see you ending up in one of those mental hospitals. I hear the food is rubbish." Molly smirked and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Then I better stop, hadn't I?"

They nodded in unison.

"Well off to bed, need to see if any of these new recruits are worth their salt." Lucy winked at Molly and they both headed out of the Great Hall.

I waited for Six in the Entrance Hall. She really could dawdle when she wanted to, and since I noticed that Gordie was still inside I had no doubt as to why she was taking her time. I don't know why she didn't just ask him out herself instead of waiting for him to do it. It wasn't like he wouldn't be interested. I mean Gordie was sweet and all, but it's not as if he has girls banging his door down or anything. Well, except that one time, but I think that had more to do with the green hair dye that he had placed in my cousin Lily's shampoo bottle. Al, who was the only person who could ever calm Lily down when her temper flared, was even unable to quell the fury that had come from his sister. It was a good thing she didn't have her wand on her at the time or our poor Gordie would be missing a head, or other vital body parts.

"So how was Gordie?" I asked Six as she approached my standing place.

Six blushed, "I don't know what you are talking about Rose. I was talking to Al."

"Sure." I winked at her and she turned her head away from me, probably hiding the burgundy color that had just flushed her cheeks.

"How was Seven?" She finally shot back, though my worried stare didn't seem to have the effect that Six had been hoping for. "He's fine Rose, don't worry. It's just mum and dad, I'm telling you."

I tried to believe her, I really did, but a pit that had been forming in my stomach all day was telling me different.

****

Crack. Crack...crack... Crack.

The sound of my knuckles cracking echoed around the deserted Entrance Hall. It was rather balmy outside, and I felt a bit of a chill but had not thought to bring my cloak for this meeting. Seven was running a little late, which did nothing to relieve my frantic thoughts of worry. I heard some footsteps approaching and turned from my spot, my smile wide in greeting, but it wasn't Seven. It was some kid who I think was friends with Hugo, but I couldn't remember his name.

He smiled back at me, though his eyes told me that he thought I was barmy. I was beginning to think I was, too. I had nothing to worry about; Seven was fine. We were fine. There was absolutely no cause for my freaking out.

"Hey," his voice came quietly from behind.

I whipped my head around and my skull cracked against his chin. Not exactly the greeting I had planned.

"Ouch." He turned his head away and rubbed at his chin.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"I know." His eyes shifted around the hall nervously, never focusing on one thing, never focusing on me.

"So you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, don't you? I haven't seen you for a month," I whined.

"Sure, we can talk." He started walking towards the front doors and I followed him like an obedient puppy.

The cool night air hit me and a breeze blew my curls into my face. I spluttered them out of my mouth.

"So what's up?" He asked as we reached the edge of the Black Lake. He was staring out into the water, still not looking at me.

"What's up? What's up? You're joking right? Why are you being so weird? What's going on?" My voice, if possible got whinier. Even I was getting annoyed with it.

"I don't know what you mean, Rose."

"I mean this," and I pulled him around to face me and tried to kiss him, but his body went frigid once more. "God, you don't even want to kiss me. What the hell is going on?"

"It's nothing, can we just leave it?" He stepped back from me, leaving a few extra feet between us for good measure.

"No, I will not leave it. Tell me!" I demanded, stamping my foot on the ground, an awful trait that I had inherited from my mother.

"Fine, you want to know?"

I nodded.

"I think..." he looked back to the lake, turning completely from me. "I think we should break up."

I felt a cold shot rush through my body that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. I know that I had been thinking this was a possibility all night, but I had never actually thought that it would happen.

"You think we should break up?" My voice was dead, eerily dead.

He turned to look at me, "Yes."

"Why?" My chin quivered. I willed it to stop. I would not cry!

"I just don't think this is working for me anymore. You're a great girl Rose, and I still want us to be friends..."

"FRIENDS? You want us to be fucking FRIENDS? Are you kidding me?" Anger suddenly replaced the sadness that had been creeping in on me, which was good, because I can handle anger. In fact, I am great at anger.

"Rose..." his hand reached out but I flinched back from him. Now he wants to touch me, now that he has broken my heart?

"Don't touch me." I hissed.

He stepped back again, his eyes darted towards the Castle entrance.

"Go." I directed him.

He shook his head and looked at me with worry and sympathy. Well, fuck his sympathy.

"GO!" I shouted at him.

"Are you going to be..."

"Did you hear me? Get the fuck out of here!" He gave me one more worried glance and then rushed back towards the entryway.

My whole body was shaking. I couldn't feel my toes. I watched his shadowy figure retreat from me; my heart throbbed erratically in my chest. I felt my mind disconnect completely.

The next thing I realized, I was at the portal to the Slytherin Common room. I don't remember walking there, or how long I was standing outside. All I knew now was that I needed to get in, to get to bed, but I didn't know the password.

I curled myself up on the floor, leaning my back against the cold stone wall. The tears that were running down my cheeks actually seemed to be warming my skin while they left their salty trails. My body continued to shiver and shake, but I couldn't get my voice to speak loud enough to even attempt to get someone to open the portal. It felt like hours, or maybe it was only minutes later, when a warm hand shook my shoulder. I looked up into the deep brown eyes of Seven. They looked so concerned, so loving. I blinked back tears of joy, joy that he had realized the mistake he made. I focused harder and then took in the rest of his face and realized with a pang that it was not in fact Seven's, but Six's eyes looking down at me with worry and concern.

"Hey!" She sounded as if she were standing on the opposite end of a tunnel instead of right beside me. "Hey, I need some help out here!"

There was some scrambling and then I was lifted up by a pair of strong arms that smelled of soap.

"Put her over there." I heard Six direct to whoever had taken up her call for help.

I was gently placed on one of the corner couches and immediately buried my face into one of the cushions. The person who carried me stood back, but I couldn't be bothered to look up. It didn't matter who it was.

Six came and sat beside me on the couch and rubbed my back in soothing circles. "Hey, Rose..." She whispered into my ear.

I groaned out a weak response.

"Rose... do you think you can walk?"

I nodded my head into the cushion.

"Okay, just hold onto me all right?"

I nodded once again into the couch and then I could feel her hands clasping beneath my arm, trying to pry it away from the comfort of the suede fabric. My body felt stiff and loose all at the same time. My arms were heavy, my head was swimming, and my feet didn't want to listen to me. Another set of hands helped get me the rest of the way into a standing position. They were larger than Six's and a bit colder. I turned my head to see Tabby standing beside me. I tried to give her a smile, but my lips seemed to enjoy their quivering state.

When I turned back towards Six, I noticed that the people in the common room were in various stages of looking at me. There were those who were polite and only peeking out of the corners of their eyes, and then there were those who couldn't have taken their eyes off me if they tried. Last, there was Hollace Monstrous. The bitch was grinning as she watched Six and Tabs take me towards the girls dormitory. Bertram, Scorpius and Gates, some of the sixth year guys, were standing back beside the couch that I had just left. None of them looking in my direction.

God I was pathetic. The thought didn't stop me from being so, though. The tears continued to fall and my body continued to be wracked with uncontrollable sobbing. Not to mention my heart, which literally felt as if it had been torn in two. There is no doubt that the phrase 'die of a broken heart' could very well happen. If my body continued to ache in this manor I don't think I would be able to stand it.

The girls prodded me into bed, my trunks having been brought up during the feast.

Hollace was close behind. I turned my head instead of watching her stand in the doorway with that evil smirk on her wretchedly perfect face.

"C'mon Holls, let's go back downstairs." Jocelyn, our fifth dorm mate called to Hollace.

"Why? And miss all the fun we could be having right here?" Her voice was cold, just like the rest of the Ice Queen.

"No... I just thought I saw Scorpius giving you the eye earlier."

Jocelyn was actually pretty decent when she didn't have her head shoved up Hollace's arse... which wasn't often.

"I've seen enough already, anyway." The Ice Queen said and then I heard two pairs of footsteps head down the hall.

The door slammed behind them. "Stupid bint!" Six's voice rang through the room.

"Yeah, especially since I know for a fact Scorpius wouldn't eye her if his life depended on it." Trust Tabby to always be so matter of fact in situations like this.

I turned my tear stained face towards them, and Tabby wiped away the small self-satisfied smile that had been growing since her comment.

"Blimey. Rose, you look like shite! What the hell happened to you?"

Six shot her a glare.

"Sev," I hiccupped, "broke," hiccup, "up" hiccup, "with" hiccup, "me" hiccup/sob. Damn it, I needed to get control here.

"No!" Six and Tabby said in unison.

I could only nod.

"No, there's no way." Six was defiant. She paced around the room. "I'm going to kill that wanker of a brother. How could he?"

I couldn't answer. How the hell was I supposed to know? Me and my delusional self this morning were anxious and excited to see him, little did I know that he was just waiting to be able to dump me. And I brought it all on. Maybe if I hadn't pushed him so hard to tell me what was wrong? Maybe he would have just let it all blow over. Why did I have to be so whiney? Why did I have to ask so many questions? Why did this have to hurt so badly?

"He was a tosser anyway." Tabby said, to which Six looked undecided about agreeing with her, after all he was still her brother.

"No he wasn't. He was the love of my life!" I shouted. Damn, dramatic much?

"I highly doubt that." Tabby said in her rational voice.

Again I noticed Six's torn look. God, this sucked. How am I supposed to talk to my best friend about my ex when my ex is her twin brother?

"Look, you're sixteen years old. You'll get over it. My father is 47 and he gets over it all the time... and under it for that matter."

Normally her caustic remarks would garner at least a chuckle, but tonight I feared there would be no laughter to release me from my anguish. I wish they would both just leave me alone to wallow. I pulled my duvet over my head in an effort to hint at my needing space. It didn't work. The duvet was ripped off my head and I saw Tabby and Six both standing over my bed.

"I will let you sulk tonight, but don't you think you are going to get to cry all freaking semester. With Hollace already being a nuisance, I don't need another one. Hear?"

Why did I like Tabby again?

"It'll be okay, Rose," Six's calming tones soothed, "I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding. We'll work it out tomorrow."

God, how I wished I could believe her, but she hadn't seen the pity in Seven's face as he had told me it was over. There was no question in my mind that our relationship was at an end. The thought renewed my tears, and as the girls finally left me to my misery, I let the horror of it all overwhelm me.

**A/N: I must know what you think. I have never written a story riddled with so many OC's. Nor have I ever attempted a 1****st**** person POV, so please all feedback is very much appreciated.**

**Thank you's go out to my wonderful Beta Georgia Weasley who has taken on this project for me as well. Also to Princess Padfoot for kicking me in the arse to get this posted.**


	2. A Binful of Sick

My eyes were caked with crust. My face felt swollen. I turned to look over at the clock to see it was only three in the morning. What in the world had I done last night? The fog slowly lifted from my mind and the memory of the lakeside talk came back to pummel me in the chest. I could feel the tears begin to poke once again in the back of my eyes.

Damn it!

I wiped them away, only to find them replaced with a new set.

I decided I needed a shower; perhaps the hot water would calm me down some. All my clothes were still on, including my shoes. There were light snores coming from Jocelyn's side of the room, which I hoped would mask any noise my shoes might make. Normally, I might have risked removing them since I was going to shower anyway, but I didn't know where my slippers were and I had learned early on in my Hogwarts career just how cold the floor could become in the middle of the night.

The bathroom was just beside our door to the hall. It wasn't nearly as cool as the prefect's bathroom; Tabby had taken me in there once. It was a damn shame that I didn't get prefecture, but I guess I could understand; there was the whole gluing incident of 2021. It was a total accident, but there was no explaining that to McGonagall. I guess she didn't take to the idea of her entire Quidditch team being stuck to their brooms, but honestly, anyone can confuse a permanent sticking potion with a broom polishing one.

The bathroom was dark and deserted, a lone light shone in the corner to help guide any nighttime users towards the toilets. I turned the gas on the small flickering flame up enough to guide me through to my small cubby of bathroom supplies, and then to the first shower stall. I couldn't exactly see which bottle was which, but I figured that after years of using the same brands I should be able to tell by now if I was putting cream rinse all over my body instead of wash.

The water was icy cold at first, and the goose bumps rose all over like jagged little bits of rock. I waited on the edge of the shower as the water slowly grew warmer. Hesitantly, I stuck my fingers in, and then followed with a toe. Soon, I was draped in the feel of hot water coursing down my back. The tears were still there; they had ebbed only slightly at the onset of the cold stream, but now fell freely down my face. I could tell because the salty water was actually cooler than the water pouring from the shower head.

Thankfully, I am in a magical castle so we don't run out of hot water here. My shower lasted a good two hours, and afterward I felt only more raw, but I smelled terrific. I wrapped myself in one of the fluffy school towels, grabbed my clothes, and sprinted back towards the dorm room. To say the floors were cold would have been an understatement. I threw myself back under the duvet and let the shivering subside before attempting to throw on some jammies. I dove underneath the covers and crawled out so that my head peaked out at the end of my bed. With very little grace, I reached over and unlatched my trunk from the wrong end. When I lifted the top, it hit me in the face. Great, not only will I have swollen and bloodshot eyes, but a huge welt on my forehead as well.

I rummaged through my neatly packed things, unfolding and messing them about in the process, until I found my flannel checkered pajamas. Under the covers, I wriggled around until I had them on straight. Then I lay back and stared at the hangings on my four poster bed. I tried to focus on anything other than my break-up, but nothing came to mind. All I could see was the look on Seven's face when he told me it was over. It was a like a sick replay I couldn't turn off.

After half an hour, I gave up on trying to relax and get back to sleep and instead flopped out of my bed, this time finding my warm fuzzy green slippers to put on my feet before daring to walk on the stone again. It was nearing five in the morning and my stomach was grumbling loudly. Six grunted in her sleep, and I internally abused my tummy for making such obscenely loud noises without my say so. She rolled over but didn't appear to be waking up. I scuttled quickly from the room.

I wondered if five would be considered too late to go to the kitchens. I mean, some people woke up this early, right? No one sane, of course, but some people did it. It could be like an early breakfast. Deciding I didn't much care, I went through the Slytherin portal and up to the Entrance Hall. The castle was eerily quiet, even more so than at night after hours (because this was before hours). Then you still had prefects and teachers roaming the halls, and students out trying not to get caught, as well. But nobody, and I mean nobody, seemed to be up this early in the morning. I expected that I would at least run into Talula, Filch's half kneazle, but alas, even she was smart enough not to be up at this hour.

The portrait of the bowl of fruit came upon me more suddenly than I had anticipated, and I had to turn around after I realized I had passed it. Tickling the pear and opening the door to the kitchens was like a breath of fresh air. I could smell bacon and sausage cooking on the stove as little house elves flitted about the kitchen throwing things into pans and ovens.

"What can I get miss?" A high squeaky voice drifted up from below. I looked down to see one of Hogwarts' many house elves at my feet, her ears big (at least I think it was a she, you really never can tell) and her eyes even bigger.

"Do you happen to have any leftover desert from last night?" I asked, knowing that the answer would be 'yes'.

The elf bowed low and then scurried off only to return seconds later with a tray filled with an array of different deserts that I had seen last night at the feast, but had been unable to stomach. I dug into the different pies, tarts, puddings, and cakes with abandon. I ate to the point I thought I would be sick, then I ate some more. The entire tray had been demolished by my spoon and fork. I looked around hoping to find more. The elves looked at me warily, but one of them sensed my need to feed and got me another tray filled with ice creams.

After eating three different flavored scoops, there was an odd tug in my stomach. My mouth started to water in that uncomfortable way. I rushed to the nearest bin and immediately hurled up my dessert binge. Wiping the sick away from my face with a napkin that one of the house elves had handed to me, I stepped away from the bin. My eyes had welled with fresh tears, though this time they were caused more from the vomiting and less from the pain of the break-up. My throat felt thick and raw. My nose dripped and I blew it into the napkin. In short, I was a huge mess.

One of the elves handed me a cup of water, which I drank small sips from. The water tasted weird and sort of sweet. It made my stomach churn once more. I went back to the bin, but thankfully nothing came up this time. Deciding it was best to sit down for a bit, I made my way to one of the small chairs huddled together in the back of the kitchen. My arse didn't quite fit, and I could feel the wood pressing into the flab of my butt cheeks. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but a right bit better than throwing up.

Once I felt it was okay to move, I thanked the elves for their kindness and crept out of the portrait hole. The castle felt more alive this time around. Perhaps it was the bird chirping outside one of the tall windows, or maybe the echoing footsteps that could be heard down the hall. It was probably just after six in the morning, and I felt relatively safe that if I got caught I would be in minimal trouble.

I was wrong. Talula came sneaking around the corner, her black tail raised in a crooked question mark. Filch was close behind, his yellowing teeth causing further turmoil to my insides as he grinned maliciously at me.

"What have we here? A student out of bed! That's detention fer you, missy." His glee forced an odd wheezing sound to emit from his chest. Maybe he would just croak before we ever got to the detention?

"I wasn't... I mean I was just..." Damn it brain, work. I wasn't Hermione Weasley, nee Granger's daughter for nothing. But my brain seemed to have stopped in its tracks; or rather it was derailed, because all I could think of was Seven when I was being threatened by Filch. My eyes started to water again. Merlin! How many times can a person cry in one day?

"Don't you try none of that on me, girl. Won't work." He shook his finger in my face, his nail yellowed even more than his teeth. It smelled like rotten fish.

My chest heaved and I quickly covered my mouth to keep the vomit from escaping. It didn't work. The liquid trickled through my fingers, and the idea of it made me sick again. Filch backed away from me, and Talula hissed before escaping behind one of his legs.

"Now look at whach've done. You'll be cleaning that up, you will."

"What seems to be the problem here?" Headmaster Hotness came into view from around the corner.

"This girl here is out of bounds, and it looks like she's had a bit too much of the drink, if yeh ask me."

I shook my head, not wanting to pull my hands away from my face.

"She appears to be sick, that is certain. Perhaps she should be escorted to the Hospital wing." Hotness gave Filch a pointed stare.

"But she..." His voice cut off with one harsher look from the Headmaster.

"She is ill. If you are un-equipped to see that, perhaps we need to re-evaluate your use to the castle."

Wow, he really was dreamy. I wanted to smirk back at Filch, but I kept my hands firmly planted to my mouth.

"Fine," he mumbled underneath his breath, and the Headmaster nodded in acceptance and moved on down the hall.

I followed behind Filch, who kept mumbling things like 'one of these days' and 'hang 'em by their thumbs'. He really was quite the barmy old codger.

****

Filch took only enough time to haul the school nurse into the main hospital area before he took heel and left. Healer Wharton was still wearing his dressing gown when he exited his room in the back of the hospital wing.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked, as he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his knuckles.

I raised both my eyebrows. Was this guy kidding me?

"Right, sorry." He muttered a quick _scourgify_, and the sick was gone from my fingers and face.

He then took in the large welt on my forehead, poking his sausage-y fingers at it, causing me to wince.

"Does that hurt?"

Really? Was this guy serious?

"Well, you look all right. Just a little back to school nerves, I suppose. You should try to be more careful about bumping into things though, that looks like it will leave a nasty bruise."

"Can't you fix it?" I asked in disbelief. I knew that Healer Wharton was a bit incompetent, but I didn't think he was completely lacking in the mental department.

"I could, but then you wouldn't learn your lesson."

I was wrong, definitely mental.

"What lesson? I bumped my head on my trunk."

"And now you will make sure never to do that again." He gave me a knowing smile before turning around and going back into his room.

"Stupid git," I mumbled under my breath as I walked out of the hospital wing.

My stomach felt better, though still not great. I was sort of relieved that it was a Saturday. I am not sure why the school opened on September 1st every year, even when that date fell on a Friday, but hey, I wasn't going to object. Maybe I would be able to catch a little more sleep. I plodded down to the dungeons and opened the portal to the Slytherin common room.

The room was mostly empty, except for a couple of first years that were obviously too excited to sleep anymore. They looked up at my entrance, but quickly averted their gaze when I shot them a 'don't mess with me' glare. I definitely didn't want any nosy firsties chattering about my current state.

Thankfully, all of my dorm mates were still sound asleep and none of them noticed me slipping back into the room where I curled back under my duvet with no intentions of leaving my bed again that day.

****

"C'mon, get up Rose." Six was shaking my shoulders and disturbing a rather wonderful dream involving me and Seven snogging in one of the abandoned classrooms on the third floor.

"Leave me be," I mumbled back, wrapping the covers more tightly around my head.

"No, c'mon, you're missing breakfast. Besides we get our timetables today."

"Who cares."

She wrenched the duvet from my grasp, leaving me exposed to the draft of the dungeon air.

"Six!" My eyes burst open and I glared at her. "I. Don't. Care." I pulled the covers back from her and cocooned myself once again.

"What the hell happened to your forehead?" She managed to stammer.

"LEAVE!" I shouted. I know it was a little uncalled for, yelling at my best friend in that manner, but really, could she not just see that I needed to be alone?

"Fine, but I won't save any muffins for you."

Good. I didn't need any muffins anyway. In fact, the idea of food was repulsive to me at the moment.

I fell into sleep once more.

*

*

"Did you see him flirting with that fifth year?" Jocelyn's whisper broke through my unconscious state.

"Who didn't? Can't say I blame him. Gloria Carlisle isn't one of the highest ranking purebloods, but anything has to be better than Weasley."

Hollace's grating voice pulled me completely from my sleep. Who was flirting with Gloria?

I didn't need to think too hard about who they were discussing. Stupid bitch. I wish I had the energy to hex the wench.

"Don't you think it's a little quick, though?" Jocelyn's supplicating voice asked her queen.

"Whatever. It's Weasley."

I didn't hear Jocelyn's reply as they walked back out of the dorm room. I stayed under the covers, wide awake now, horrible visions of Seven and Gloria snogging in a third floor classroom dancing in my head. Our classroom. The awful thoughts swam around in my mind so forcefully that I was convinced that they were now the hottest new Hogwarts couple, probably getting married as soon as they were both of age.

I don't know how much time passed between Hollace and Jocelyn's exit; it could have been days for all I cared. Though, I doubted Six would leave me alone for that long. It was actually Tabby that ended up coming to get me.

"That's enough." Her matter of fact tone broke through the silence Hollace's mean words had left behind all those hours ago. "I have officially let you mope for almost an entire day."

My duvet vanished and I looked to see Tabs standing there, wand in hand and pointed directly at me.

"Now, get up before I have to hex you."

"Tabby, please, I really just wan..."

"Don't care." She walked around to the side of my bed and looked down at my pathetic face.

"Tabitha Avery, I don't want to..." my stern voice was immediately trumped by that of Tabby's no-nonsense tone.

"Again, don't care. Now get up."

I listened, knowing better than to actually piss her off. She could get a little crazy when she was mad, or determined.

"You're going to have to change. There's something that looks like sick on your cuff." She pointed to the right cuff of my pajama top, and there was a nice big splotch of last night's - or rather early mornings - vomit.

Healer Wharton officially sucks!

I opened my trunk, careful not to knock my head again, and grabbed the first set of clothes I could find.

"Not great, but it'll do," Tabby said as she looked me up and down. "Now, it's time for dinner, and you are coming to sit with the rest of your house."

Damn her stupid house pride.

Tabby strategically placed my back towards the rest of the Great Hall, which was definitely a good idea since the one time I looked over I caught a glimpse of Seven at the Ravenclaw table talking to a blonde. I didn't know it was possible to hate someone that I had never actually spoken to, but there was no doubt in my mind Gloria Carlisle was an evil bitch from hell.

Bertram, with his curly blond hair and square glasses, came and flanked my right side while Tabby sat on my left. Six was in front of me, but she kept her head down. Perhaps I was a little harsh with her this morning.

I moved the food that had been piled on my plate by both Bertram and Tabs with my fork, only taking three entire bites. For one time in my life, food held absolutely no interest to me.

"You really should eat something," Scorpius Malfoy said in a low voice. He had been sitting across from Bertram, though I hadn't really noticed him before. To be honest, I rarely ever noticed him.

I shoved a large piece of chicken in my mouth and chewed, though it was making me ill at every bite. "Happy?" I asked, with my mouth full of poultry.

He just shook his head, directed his attention back towards Gates Kinlan, and continued whatever discussion he had been having previously. Once his attention was distracted from me, I spit the contents of my mouth into my napkin.

"You feel any better?" Bertram asked, and I could see how everyone around me seemed to perk their ears, waiting for my answer.

"What do you think?" Tabby stuck up for me.

That shut Bertram up, and everyone turned their attention back to their plates or neighbors.

"Do you want me to get Ade?"

God bless the boy for trying, but he was completely hopeless.

"No. Thanks, though." I went back to shuffling my food about my plate. Adrianna would probably be a huge help, but I really just didn't want to talk about it right now. I still hadn't processed it all yet.

"There you are." Al squeezed himself between me and Bertram. "We've been looking for you all day. Heya Bert, mind scooting over more?"

I could hear the low growl that Bertram emitted at Al's shortening of his name. It almost made me laugh… almost.

"Well I'm here," I responded in a dull tone.

"Seven told us what happened. He's a right shit for dumping you like that."

Great. Now there was no doubt for anyone as to what was going on. Way to announce it to the world, Al. Thanks.

"Yeah well, I'm fine, so no need to worry." I put on a fake smile that made my cheeks hurt.

"Sure you are. What's with the welt then? You aren't off hurting yourself over this, are you?"

I could practically hear Tabby roll her eyes.

"No, I bloody well am not. I just knocked my head on my trunk." I turned towards Tabby. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, the air has gone sour anyway." She scowled at my cousin, which under the circumstances I actually thought he deserved.

"See ya, Al."

Thankfully, he didn't feel the need to follow me, or respond for that matter. Probably high tailed it away from the Slytherin table as soon as he saw that I was leaving. Sure, Six was his friend, but one friend among a sea of…well not friends, was dangerous territory.

"I came, I saw, I ate, now back to bed." I pulled away from Tabby and broke towards the dungeons.

"You call that eating?" She quirked a brow at me, but made no further attempts at getting to me be active.

Thank god! Now, back to my private pity party under the covers


	3. Ring, Ring The Real Word is Calling

I was just getting settled in the nice little groove my body had been making in the bed when Hollace VanStrauss entered the room. Her voice was like nails down a chalkboard. I swear I get the shivers every time she says anything.

"I wish Daddy would have let me just wait to come tomorrow. I mean, I missed an entire weekend where I could have been shopping. There was a new shipment of robes coming into Madam Malkin's this morning... Oh, you're here."

I scowled, but Hollace just brushed off my disdain as if it were lint.

"I guess I can't blame you. I mean, who wants to watch their ex-boyfriend make off with a new girl not even twenty-four hours after ditching you?" She flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she turned towards Jocelyn, who was always eagerly awaiting Hollace's next words.

"Yeah, my mum said I couldn't wait either. Said something about needing her space..." Jocelyn scrunched up her face, but at the cold stare Hollace gave her she plastered on a smile and said, "Just kidding."

Kill me now. Not only did I have to endure the heartbreak of losing Seven, but now I was trapped in a room with Bitch One and Thing Two. Well, I didn't have to take this shit. With very little dignity, but a lot of fanfare, I pulled my blanket from my bed, wrapped it around myself, and went to the common room. Anything was better than enduring the endless and inane chatter of those two. I could only handle so much arse kissing and snobbery at one time. I had reached my Bull Shit limit for the day.

Most people were smart and averted their eyes when I walked into the Slytherin common room. Most people. I had to hiss at a third year boy. Brash little wanker. There was a corner that few people ever sat in because it was furthest from the fire, and the Slytherin common room could get pretty chilly. I curled up on an overstuffed chair and watched the black lake through the small porthole window. Sometimes a grindelow would pass by, or one of the giant squids' tentacles. Jocelyn swore one time she had seen a merman look through at her, but no one really believed her.

I was actually pretty calm just sitting there watching algae, my mind drifting around like the water, never really focusing on anything. It was the most peace I had had since seeing Seven on the platform yesterday. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Six enter the common room. She glanced my way, but then turned and went up towards our dorm. I would probably have to sort that out later. She could get a bit touchy sometimes.

"You mind if I have a seat?" A quiet voice asked from behind and above me. I looked up to see Scorpius Malfoy standing there holding our overly large Transfiguration book. I shrugged.

We sat in silence, me continuing to stare out of the porthole and him reading on one of the two other chairs in the corner grouping. I was able to ignore his presence pretty well; it was almost comfortable. Almost. I felt that was what this past day had consisted of. Almosts. I almost had a nice train ride with my boyfriend. I almost enjoyed the start of term feast. I was almost able to hold myself together when said boyfriend ditched me. I almost smiled, twice. A very almost-y day.

"It's a nice spot." His quiet voice hardly disturbed my thoughts.

"Yeah."

"You know I can heal that for you... if you want."

At first I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but then he pointed at my forehead. Oh yeah, that.

"Sure." I shrugged and leaned forward, duvet wrapped tightly around my shoulders.

He waved his wand and muttered something so low that I barely heard it. A warm tingling sensation filled my head, and I lifted my hand to my brow. It was smooth and painless. Just goes to show what a worthless school nurse we had.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He sunk back into his chair and started reading his Transfiguration book once more.

I slouched into the comfort of my own seat and continued my look out of the window.

When Scorpius moved next it was to get up, closing the book around his pointer finger. I looked around the common room and noticed we were the last people there. When had that happened?

"Night," he said as he walked towards the boys dorms.

"Yeah, er… night." He gave me a weird look and then went up the stairs, leaving me alone in a very cold common room.

I rushed towards my own dorm; it was a little creepy here by myself.

Thankfully, Hollace VanBitch-face was sleeping, her eye mask safely in place, though why pulling the curtains to her bed closed wouldn't work just as well was beyond me.

Six, however, was still sitting up. I approached her bed sheepishly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be a complete prat earlier."

"It's fine." She turned her head.

"No, it's not. I am sorry. It has been a hard day."

"I just wanted to help." She bit her bottom lip and I could see that she was suppressing the trembling of her chin.

"I know you did. I guess I just needed to be by myself for a little while." I reached out and squeezed her arm.

"You feel any better?"

"Not really." I sat in the middle of her bed and she magicked the curtains closed.

"It's only been a day Rose. Seven will come to his senses." Her face looked so hopeful, and it made me wish I could be as naive. Nope, I knew without a doubt Seven meant it. There would be no happy reconciliation.

Though knowing this and wanting something else were completely different things, which is why I was forced to ask, "So is it true that he is into Gloria now?" The bedspread on Six's bed had a small, dark green stain left over from third year when we tried to dye our hair for a Quidditch match. You would have thought the house elves would have gotten that out, or that they would have replaced it. I waited patiently for her answer.

"No, of course not. She's just some silly Ravenclaw bint who got word that Seven was now sing... Who thought she would try to seduce a sixth year prefect. Wasn't able to get anyone in her own house, I expect."

"You're lying. But thanks." I couldn't handle anymore conversation so I brushed the curtains aside and went back towards my private hole. At least I had one more day to wallow before I had to see Seven in classes.

****

Sunday passed in a blur of sleep and tears. Tabby, who had tried once again to get me to go to meals, was deterred by Six. I never thought I would see the day when Six would raise her voice to anyone other than her siblings, but Merlin, did that witch have a pair of lungs on her! Needless to say, it meant I had an entire room to myself the whole day and was treated to breakfast, lunch and dinner in bed, all courtesy of the bestest friend ever.

I suspected she even made it so VanBitch-face wouldn't enter. Probably just pointed her in the direction of the closest single, pureblooded male and the princess went running.

Next thing I knew, though, I was being shaken awake and Six was informing me that it was in fact Monday morning and I actually needed to get out of bed today. Damn school for getting in the way of my wallowing. I dressed in my school robes and pulled my hair back in a tight bun. I would shower later... maybe.

Tabby and Bertram decided to flank me once again. I guess Bertram was acting out his older brother fantasies. He hardly ever got to be protective of Adriana; that girl could hex a wing off a fly. Six took the seat across from me again. I was grateful for being surrounded, because not minutes after sitting down I was bombarded by Weasleys, Potters, a Scamander Twin (Lysander to be exact), Gordan, and Ade.

"She's fine. Just let the poor girl eat." Tabby's voice boomed through the chorus of "poor Rose". Al scowled at her, but grabbed Gordie and walked back to the Gryffindor table. The rest of them weren't as smart and only left when James and Fred started to grow tails. I had to admit, although I didn't really want to talk to any of them, it was nice to know I was loved. Professor Pucey came by and dropped off the schedule I had not gotten over the weekend with everyone else.

I was pleased to note I had a free period first thing, though it would have been nice to know that before hand. I could have avoided the whole breakfast circus to begin with. Then I had double potions. That I could definitely handle.

The only problem with a free period right now is it gave me time to think instead of something else to focus on. I supposed it wouldn't be a bad idea to shower. I mean, I hadn't done so since three in the morning on Saturday. I probably smelled. I slickly sniffed under my armpit. Yep, definitely smelled. Six left for Divination while I followed Scorpius and Bertram down back to the common room.

One steaming hot shower and some foaming lavender/chamomile wash later; I felt refreshed and smelled delicious. I had had enough sulking and decided the best way to show Seven he was a major dick was to look as good as I possibly could, and I won't lie, when I tried, that could be pretty darn good.

It was ten minutes to double potions when I came down the girls' stairway. Bertram and Scorpius were packing up their book bags in preparation for the class. They looked up at my approach, and though he was like a cousin to me, I did get some satisfaction in watching Bertram's mouth hang open. Scorpius continued packing up with only a quick glance in my direction. Oh well, you can't win 'em all. Besides, it was Seven's reaction I was interested in.

We walked together towards the classroom in a companionable enough silence, collecting Tabby to our group along the way. There was a small queue outside the classroom, much smaller than the year before. Seven was nowhere to be seen, but Six was standing near Gordan and Al against the wall.

At my approach they broke off in their conversation. Al appeared oblivious to any change in my appearance, Gordan looked me up and down in appreciation, and Six smiled and gave me a hug. Merlin, I didn't realize that a bit of makeup and a wash would garner such a positive reaction. Perhaps I would do it more often. I mean, I didn't really have to try too much before, I already had Seven. The door to the potions classroom swung open and Professor Pucey stepped out.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He gestured us into the room, his long boney fingers pointing our way as if we needed directions.

When I entered the room I saw a few four person stations set up, and Seven sat at the front right hand table. I wondered what could have had him meeting with Professor Pucey before class, but stopped thinking altogether when I saw the look on Seven's face. Nothing. There was nothing there. He didn't even seem to notice my entrance. All this effort wasted.

All except for Al and Six, people starting sitting themselves around the stations. Those two nervously looked at me. Gordon had taken the seat beside Seven without a second of thought. Al's eyes darted between mine and Seven's, while Six's went back and forth between me and Gordon. I sighed and gestured for them to sit with Seven. I, in turn, walked over to Tabby, Bertram and Scorpius, thankful that no one else had taken their spare seat.

Otherwise, I might have ended up at the table with the Hufflepuff who was known to pick his nose and eat his bogies. Really pretty gross if you ask me. Six shot me an 'I'm so sorry' look, but I couldn't let myself get mad. It wasn't as if I could ask her to forsake her twin and her crush all because of me. Well, actually I totally could. I mean, I am the wronged party here, but I won't because I am better than that. Well, today I am anyway.

I scooted in next to Tabby and placed my bag under the table.

"Take out your books and turn to page 10. This is your NEWT year and I expect all of you to get this potion right on the first try." Professor Pucey shot a pointed look at Seven.

I wondered again what in the world was going on, but I didn't really get much time to dwell. Drought of the Living Death was calling my name; or rather Tabby was as she snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"You there?" She hissed and my eyes refocused and saw to my chagrin that everyone else seemed to be chopping up their sopophorus beans.

Damn!

I began working on my own; though using the back of my knife in order to get more juice out. For some reason my mum insisted that I learn this technique. Something about not letting Al best me in potions. As if that could happen. Transfiguration, maybe, but definitely not potions.

"Hey? What's that you're doing?" Scorpius asked as he saw the juice of the sopophorus bean practically gush out. I showed him with another one of my beans. He attempted to make the proper squishing motion, but ended up shooting his bean across the room and it smacked into the back of Seven's head. I didn't mean to snort, but honestly, that was just too funny. A bit of justice served as well.

I turned my head in order to not appear the guilty party; after all, I hadn't done it. I could feel Seven's eyes on the back of my head but dared not to look back. Instead, I took Scorpius's hand and guided him through the proper way to juice the sopophorus bean.

He caught on quickly and I got back to making my own potion. I was just adding the infusion of asphodel when Scorpius whispered, "Should I be worried that your ex is going to try and hex me?" He gestured with his head over to Seven's table.

I brushed my chin with my shoulder, taking the opportunity to sneak a peek at Seven. Our eyes met, and for the briefest second I saw his flash of irritation before he turned back to his own potion.

"No, he would never stoop to that level. Besides," I looked down at my neatly chopped valerian roots, "he broke up with me." I felt the familiar prick in the back of my eyes and blinked rapidly several times before focusing again on the roots.

I obviously made Scorpius uncomfortable because he didn't comment after that, which honestly I was grateful for. Anything he might have said would have been some pitiful attempt to make me feel better, and only would have caused me to feel even worse.

Five. Six. Seven (ugh!). Counterclockwise. One. Two. Three...

My potion had started to lighten and was now the color of lilac; I took stock of those around me and noticed Tabby was still working on getting her potion to the dark currant color that showed you were about half way done. Bertram was a few shades lighter than Tab's, and Scorpius was just a few shades darker than mine. It was nice to know that I was still good at something. My potion was nearing very close to clear when Professor Pucey called time.

He walked purposefully around the classroom, commenting on the potions he passed. He took a long time examining Seven's potion, whose color appeared to be close to lilac, though perhaps a few shades off. The Professor whispered something to Seven, which he nodded to somberly, and then continued on his perusal of the rest of the class.

"Very nice, Weasley."

I couldn't help but beam. So what if Seven broke my heart? I still at least had my skill with potions. That was something he had always needed my help for. Na, na, na, na boo boo. What? That's what the jerk gets for dumping me.

We all hurried to clean up our places and headed for lunch, I was met by Six and Al on the way out.

"I'm so sorry, Rose..." Six gave me an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry about it."

"So you're all buddy, buddy with Malfoy now?" Al asked.

I shrugged, "He's nice enough."

"Just be careful, Rose. Guys like that prey on girls who are on the rebound."

"Be careful about what? Seven and I just broke up, I am not about to date anyone, let alone a bloke I have barely talked to these past several years."

"I wasn't talking about dating..." Al trailed off his thought as he walked to catch up with Gordan.

Prat!

****

I decided to eat lunch with Ade and Dom at the Ravenclaw table. One, I wanted to get a good look at Gloria, and two, I really shouldn't continue to sulk in my own little Slytherin corner.

"Hey," I greeted Adrianna as I sat down across from her.

"Well, if it isn't our Rose. Decided to come out of your hole, have you?" Though there was a smile on her face, I could tell that she meant every sarcastic word she had just said.

"No, she's just here checking out the competition." Dom sat down beside me, swinging her strawberry blonde hair into my face.

I blushed. Leave it to Dom to not let me get away with anything. If it weren't for Tab's aversion to anyone non-Slytherin, I feel that they would get along swimmingly.

"So... what's she like?" I had to ask. What was the point in lying? We all knew the truth.

"Don't really know her, honestly." Dom reached for a platter of cold meats and forked a few pieces of roast beef onto her plate.

"I tutored her a bit in charms last year, but we didn't really talk about anything non-charms related." Ade shrugged and took a nibble of some cheese.

"She's a right bitch."

I turned to see Hugo standing behind me; he plopped down at my vacant side.

I quirked a 'do go on' eyebrow at him.

"She only goes out with older blokes, they have to be pureblood, and she hates Quidditch." He spat the last bit out as if the words tasted bad. Which, in Hugo's mouth, they probably did.

"Great," I muttered. "Seven is older, pure blood, and doesn't like girls who are into Quidditch."

They all gaped at me at this last bit.

"What?" I asked.

Ade, the only one who was able to speak after such a declaration, said, "I don't get it. He doesn't like girls who like Quidditch? I thought Seven loved the game."

"He does. He just thinks girls who play, or who are really into watching, are un-feminine." I shrugged.

"Is that why you stopped playing with us?" Dom asked, finally able to get her voice back.

I could feel my cheeks flush pink, and I averted my eyes to focus on the grain of the table. Did you know that there is a knothole that looked very much like a dementor? Kind of freaky, if you ask me.

"You did. I can't believe you, Rose. To stop doing something you're good at for some bloke!" Dom's tone grew more indignant.

"Pretty dumb, sis."

"That's not why I stopped. I just didn't really fancy playing anymore." Not really feeling hungry, but deciding I should attempt at eating, I pulled an apple from a bowl and started twisting the stem.

"I don't believe you." That was Dom.

"Me neither," said Ade.

"Really horrible liar," muttered Hugo.

I took a bite of my apple.

"Seriously Rose..." Dom sighed.

I chewed.

"You should try out this year," Ade urged.

"Show that tosser Seven what a girl can really do," Dom insisted again.

Hugo just nodded, as his mouth was now full of a ham and cheese sandwich. Too bad I hadn't inherited my mother's table manners like Hugo.

"Maybe. Now can we drop it?" I gave them each my 'stop-now-or-I'll-hex-you' stare.

"Sure, for now." Dom shrugged, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and fingered a piece of roast beef into her mouth.

"So, how was your first day of classes?" Desperate for any change of subject, classes would just have to do.

"Crap. Professor Longbottom had us collect bobotuber puss. Stuff is just nasty." Hugo made a disgusted face.

"Well that's better than having that Vance woman teaching DADA. She's so green you can practically smell the fertilizer. We won't learn a blasted thing this year." Dom's irritation was justified. If you were planning on being an Auror a good DADA teacher was imperative. Dom's standards were a bit higher than most, especially given the identity of her father and uncles. I mean, our family is quite well known for our skills in the Defense of the Dark Arts.

"She's not that bad. Maybe if you hadn't called her out in front of the whole class she wouldn't have been so flustered."

Dom shot Ade a dark look, and we all backed off of the subject. If there was one Weasley you didn't get angry, it was definitely Dominique. We all had our tempers, but for some reason hers was a bit more feral. I secretly thought it came from some of the werewolf tendencies from her dad, though there was no real evidence of that, just a suspicion.

"Watch out. James is coming this way," Dom hissed to Ade, low enough that Hugo didn't seem to hear as he focused on getting someone to pass him the chili from the other end of the table.

"So?" Ade didn't even turn to look.

"So, I thought you weren't talking to him." Their voices, a little louder than before, drew Hugo's attention.

"Who aren't you talking to?" He asked rather loudly, and looked to Ade. She colored slightly.

"Nobody," she hissed.

"So, not me then?" James asked as he walked up and took the seat next to Ade.

I watched as my friend collected herself quickly. "No, I am NOT not talking to anyone."

James grinned. "Good to know."

"Well, I would love to stay and chat, but I've got to get ready for Herbology," Ade said as she gathered her books, shooting Dom and Hugo a scathing look, smiling wanly at me, and barely nodding towards James.

I, being my nosy self and needing something other than my own drama to occupy my mind for a bit, decided to go after Ade.

"Yeah, um... got Arithmancy. See you guys." I spoke quickly as I rose and practically ran to catch up with Adrianna, who had managed to get rather far considering she had only just left the table ten seconds before me.

"Hey, hold up." I called as I fell into stride by her. "What in the world was that about?"

"What was what about?" She asked.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. Since when do you avoid James Potter?" James and Adrianna had been best friends since the age of four when he offered to share his animal crackers with her at my third birthday party.

"I'm not avoiding him." She started walking faster.

"Liar."

"Look, I really am not. I just…well, I just think that it would be better if we didn't hang out as much anymore." Her brows furrowed slightly.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because, why?" I could really be annoying when I wanted to.

"Because it keeps interfering with me getting any blokes to notice me," she gushed out.

"That's rubbish. Guys definitely notice you," I shot back.

"Maybe, but they don't do anything about it. James scares them all off. Like this weekend, I was having a perfectly nice time with Derick Kestler and then James comes over and ruins it all. Putting his arms around me as if I were his property. Acting all macho. Now Derick will hardly even look at me."

I knew how hard it could be to have the Potter and Weasley boys looking out for you. James and Fred gave Seven hell for the first two and a half months we were together. Not to mention Al, who was livid and kept saying things about breaking the 'guy code'. I don't know what he was so fussed about, Six thought it was great and she was Seven's actual sister and not just a cousin.

"I'm sorry. I know they can be a pain, but it comes from a good place." I pulled Ade to an alcove on the side in order to face her.

"I know, but I just... well, I just don't want it anymore. I feel like a social pariah. Hell Rose, the only boy brave enough to kiss me was in the third year, and he got hexed so badly he was in the hospital wing for a week."

"Have you tried talking to James about it, maybe hinting that he needed to lay off a bit?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "On about fifty different occasions. It's fine for him to go off and have a different girl every week, but for me to even talk to a guy is inconceivable. I think it will just be better this way." She placed a hand on my forearm in a plea for me to understand her decision. "I better get to class. Thanks for listening, Rose."

"Sure," I called out, and noticed once again how fast Ade could move. I couldn't help but feel bad for James. He was a right git for running off all of Ade's prospects, but I knew how much this would hurt him.

Seven and I had not even been together for two years, a drop in the bucket compared to a thirteen year friendship.

________________

**A/N: Sorry that the updates are taking so long. I have moved and am trying to get settled in. I hope you enjoyed. Thanks so much to all who are still with me. I promise I wont abandon this story.**


	4. The Great Quidditch Intervention

The rest of the week went by in a blur of tears (I wish I could stop), NEWT lectures, and pity. I was seriously getting sick of all three.

The tears, I couldn't help. They would come at the oddest times, too. Like in Transfiguration when we were going over how to become an Animagus, and Professor Boot turned into a Raven, something which Sev and I had always talked about doing together. Now, he was sitting on the opposite side of the classroom and could barely look at me. This was probably good considering my tears. Or at dinner when they served us Shepherd's pie, Seven's favorite. I had to pretend that I got pepper in my eye, though I doubt anyone believed me. Stupid pie.

The NEWT lectures were standard. Each professor congratulated us for getting top marks in their subjects and how difficult the year would be, making sure to stress that the free periods were for study and not play.

The pity was the worst. It got to the point where I could only stand to be around a few people, Tabby being the main one. It was refreshing to not feel obligated to pretend to be happy around her so that I could avoid that 'poor Rose' look. She either didn't care about my pain, which was a probability, or she was just smart enough to know not to show it. Scorpius Malfoy was also not bad to sit down with. He didn't talk much, which was nice, and he never seemed to expect anything of me. Usually, we just would sit in the corner of the common room, me staring out of the porthole and him working on school work. Sometimes Tabby or Bertram would join us, but usually both became so disconcerted by our quietness that they left after ten or fifteen minutes.

I had taken to avoiding Six. It was horrible, I know, but she was the worst of them all. I know that she was trying to help, I really do, but the look on her face when she looked at me made me feel ten times worse. And what's even more wretched is that I couldn't really vent properly to her, as she is Seven's sister and she won't take kindly to me calling him a tosser and other more colorful words at every turn. I know that my distance was starting to hurt her, but she covered it well enough by spending more time out of the common room than normal, probably paling around with Al and Gordan and... Seven.

I took a long breath. It didn't seem to be getting any easier. Just that day I had seen Seven in the halls talking to Gloria, her hand brushing against his bicep. It made me ill. The real kicker was that I felt like I had lost not one, not two, not even three, but four best friends. Seven was obvious. Six, a little less than. Gordie, because he was friends with Seven first, and then Al, because they were all in the same house and dorm mates and I had taken to hanging out with Tabs, someone who Al couldn't stand to be around for longer than five seconds and vice-versa.

So to sum up, my week was total crap.

"I hear that Slytherin Quidditch try-outs are next Saturday," Dom said when she approached me in the hall after my last class on Friday.

"Yeah, so?" I continued walking towards the dungeons. Thought I might get in a little cat nap before dinner.

"So, you should try out. C'mon Rose, you're good. Or you were two years ago."

"I don't know... I haven't really played in a while."

I'm not sure why I was being so hesitant. I just felt that playing would be like admitting that it was truly over with Seven, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to do that yet.

"Look, I'll help you practice. We can do it tomorrow morning. I'll see you at the pitch at ten." And before I could respond, Dom swished her long hair and sauntered off towards the Ravenclaw tower.

I clenched my fists in frustration. Meddling cousins were just too annoying. I would just tell her at dinner that I didn't want to practice. At least, not until I had decided I was going to try out.

The problem was that Dom wasn't at dinner. I looked all around for her, but her distinctive hair color could not be seen anywhere. Sneaky little bint. She probably took her meal in the kitchens, knowing I would back out. Well, I would show her! I just wouldn't go tomorrow.

Hah. I could just picture it now, Dom standing alone on the pitch with her broom in hand, waiting for me as I curled up in my warm feather down duvet.

The idea actually caused me to smirk.

"Something funny?" Tabby asked.

"No, not really. Just a pissed off cousin." I couldn't help it, my smirk widened into a small smile.

"Sounds like a good thing to me. Please tell me it's that wanker Al. What did you do to him? Was it painful?" She sat up straighter and leaned forward, impatiently awaiting my response.

"Sorry to disappoint, but it was not Al, and it won't be anything painful. Just Dom getting what she deserves."

"Which one is that again?" Tabs asked.

"The tall one in Ravenclaw with the perfect everything." It wasn't meant to be a bitter statement, because honestly I had never been jealous of Dom. Sure, she was gorgeous, and smart, and fun to hang out with, but we were just different people with completely different taste. While she was great at Quidditch, I was great at my academics (though not so shabby at Quidditch). While she liked blondes, I preferred dark hair. While she was a fan of the bad boy, I liked mine on the good side. In fact, she has dated at least three different Slytherins while I have yet to be interested in even one.

"Yeah, I know the one. Dated Warrington last year, right?"

"That's the one."

"So, what did you do?" I noticed that Bertram and Scorpius moved a bit closer.

"Really guys, I haven't done anything... yet."

"C'mon Rose, you can't leave us hanging like that." Bertram piped in.

"Fine, but I'm telling you it isn't that interesting." I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my chicken as my friends watched me in anticipation. I chewed slowly. Tabby began to drum her fingers on the table in annoyance.

"She wants me to try out for the Quidditch team and she expects me to meet her at the pitch tomorrow at ten to practice. But... I'm not going."

Tabby groaned, "That's the big secret? Lame, Rose, really lame." She turned to Bertram, who also seemed to be disappointed by my statement, as he'd probably been expecting something much better than that. Especially if it had to do with Dom. The boy went a little nutty whenever she was around.

"Why aren't you going?" Scorpius leaned over and asked.

"'Cause I don't think I'm going to try out," I shrugged and took another bite of my chicken, though I wasn't really very hungry.

"You any good?" he asked.

I shrugged again. "I'm fair. I haven't played in a while, though."

"You should give it a shot."

"I don't even know what positions they are trying out for." God, what a lame excuse.

"Well, they are looking for a Keeper, a Chaser and a Beater." He ticked each one off on his fingers.

"I forgot you play for the house team." I rarely went to the matches previously. I always was torn between rooting for my house team or rooting for my friends and family. It wasn't like I was close to anyone who played for Slytherin, and I definitely didn't want to get hexed in our common room, so I chose to sit most games out and only attended those few the first couple years of school and some that Six would drag me to.

"I'm also the Captain." His eyes sparkled a little, but only for a second. A rare bit of emotion from Scorpius Malfoy. Who would have thought?

"Ah, it all makes sense now."

"What does?" His right eyebrow quirked up, creating a long wrinkle on his forehead.

"Why you were interested in whether or not I try out."

"What position do you play?"

"I don't... hence the practice. Though, I used to be a pretty good Keeper. That is, when my dad would let me play that position. I spent a lot of time as a Chaser when I was young."

"So... Keeper, then?"

"I guess. I don't really like being a Chaser." I took another bite of the chicken, but it was a bit dry and felt like sawdust in my mouth.

"Well, have a good practice tomorrow. I hope to see you on the team." He winked at me before turning his attention to Gates, who had just joined us at our end of the table.

"But I'm not..." Oh, what was the point? Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. I mean it was just a practice. It didn't mean that I would have to try out or anything. Besides, maybe it would help to let off some steam.

The weather was still pretty mild, but you could feel the fall crispness starting to settle in. I was standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, an old school broom in hand and butterflies dancing in my stomach. It had been a long time since I had even ridden on a broom, let alone played Quidditch. Dom was, as usual, running late. I decided that perhaps it would be better if I tried to fly around a bit before she came, just in case I was rustier than I thought.

The broom was an old Cleansweep Eleven, the same broom my dad used to ride when he played Keeper at school. Hell, for all I knew, this could be the very same broom. He did donate a few old ones when I was younger. I straddled the handle and hovered for a moment near to the ground. Slowly, I leaned forward, pulling the handle up; the broom sputtered a little, but then started its ascent upwards. The wind was chilly against my skin; I forgot how cold it could get when flying through the air.

My hair flew wildly around my face, making it difficult for me to see. I eased up on the broom and it inched towards a stop. I was now over fifty feet up in the air. The view was amazing. I could see the castle as it towered over the Hogwarts grounds and the lake shimmering off in the distance. The forbidden forest, which had never really looked as forbidding as it was rumored to be, spread out like a dark green blanket. It was all breathtaking, and it caused me to wonder why I had given this up.

Oh yeah, because I am an idiot who wanted to impress a boy. I wish I could shake my fourth- year self and tell her that it didn't matter because the boy would only break her heart as well as quell her passion for flying.

I saw Dom approaching the gates to the pitch, so I crept my way back towards the ground. I didn't really trust the broom enough to go any faster, especially with my little hair-in-face problem. I reached the ground just as Dom entered the pitch.

"Getting some practice in before I get here then?" She smiled her knowing smile, and I could see the gloating that she was working so hard on holding back. That Dom was very proud of herself, tricking me into this.

"Just thought I would test out the broom, make sure it wasn't complete rubbish." I landed a little less gracefully than I would have liked, but I didn't fall. Thank god for little mercies, I guess.

"Don't worry about riding around on that piece of rubbish." Dom handed me a broom. A new broom. A Nimbus 3000, to be exact.

"Wow, when did you get this?" I asked as I took hold of the polished ironwood handle.

"It came this morning, which is why I was a bit late. Your dad sent it."

I looked up from the broom and stared bewilderedly at her.

"My dad? But... why?"

"Because I wrote to him to tell him that you were trying out for your house team." She grinned again, that knowing, smug grin that sort of made me want to punch her.

"I haven't said that I would try out, and besides, you didn't even trick me into this practice until yesterday. How did it get here so quickly?" I took to looking back at the broom, where black lettering etched on the handle formed the words _Nimbus 3000_. The wood shone a deep green with black details. It was the most beautiful broom I had ever seen, way better than Al's Firebolt Flame.

"I owled him on Monday after talking to you. I knew he'd want to get you something decent to ride if you were going to try out. Hercules is fast and strong. It was hardly an outing for him." Dom was talking about her Fish Owl, which was massive, and to be honest, a bit scary.

"This is mine, then? Really?" I could feel the wood humming against the skin of my hand.

"Yep! All yours. Now let's get to flying shall we?" She waved her wand, and I saw another broom zoom from just behind the opened gate. She perched herself on it and started flying upwards towards the hoops at one end of the pitch.

I pulled my hair back, I didn't need to go blind, especially now that I was riding a proper broom, and followed her up, shouting, "Don't we need the balls?" before becoming overwhelmed by the smooth ride towards the hoops. It was amazing, drastically different from the broom I had just been spluttering around on.

Dom called back, "No, that'll come later. I think you should just practice flying about for a bit."

That made sense. And so, fly I did. Not as well as I once had, but much better than I had anticipated. Though, I am sure the new broom helped a lot with this. It was like riding on air. Never have I had a better cushioning charm.

We had practiced several dives, turns, and rushes when I noticed three other people enter the pitch. I guess that meant that practice was over. I was surprised by how sad that made me. I started heading for the ground when Dom called out for me to stop.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked as she zipped towards me.

I gestured towards the figures down below. "I figured it was time to let someone else get the pitch."

"Nope, not a chance. Those are just reinforcements." She gave me that damned grin again. Was it normal to be this hostile towards family?

Now that I was closer to the ground I could make out a several shocks of ginger hair. One was definitely Hugo's. I could spot that mangy mess a mile away (okay not really since I wasn't even able to identify him from 60 feet up), but definitely from 30 feet away. Beside Hugo were Lucy and Molly. Their shades varied from a light orange/red to a darker auburn similar to my own. Lucy and Molly held their beater bats along with their brooms, and Hugo was carrying the large ball case.

I flew down and landed in a much better fashion than the last time, only to be greeted by James, Al, Fred, Roxy, Louis, and Lily walking through the gate.

"What in the world is going on here?" I asked, not looking at any of them in particular, but taking them all in as a whole.

"Just a friendly Weasley Quidditch match," said Fred.

"Oi! Don't forget Potters, as well." James hollered back.

"Sorry, Potter/Weasley Quidditch match." Fred corrected.

"So, what position do you think you'll be trying for?" asked Lily.

I couldn't speak at first, so amazed that the entire clan would show up just to help me practice. It was most likely the pity thing again, but it had been a while since we had all played together, and it was rather nice.

"She's going for Keeper," answered Hugo, when it looked like I wouldn't respond.

I arched a brow at him.

"What? It's the only position you ever wanted to play when, you know... you used to actually play."

"So... is he right then?" Louis asked.

I nodded.

"Alright then, let's get this set up. We'll do three Chasers, one Beater and one Keeper. There's no point in bringing the Snitch out if you're not going for Seeker," Dom called out in her 'official business' voice.

"That leaves one out," Roxy said as she ticked off the positions on her fingers.

"I can sit out. It's not like I can play anyway. I'll referee or something," answered Fred, who in all honesty was quite horrible at Quidditch.

"Okay, now that that is settled. I'll take Rose, Al, Louis, and Luce here," James put his arm around Lucy's neck and pulled her in for a noogie, to which she responded by clubbing him on the head with her bat.

"Fine. That leaves me, Lily, Roxy, Hugo, and Molls. Who can be Keeper?" Dom asked as she looked at the members of her team.

"I guess I can," Roxy shrugged.

"No way. You're Chaser. Lily, you be Keeper." Dom's official voice came out again.

"C'mon, why do I have to be Keeper? Roxy said she would do it," Lily whinged.

"Because she's a bloody brilliant Chaser and you aren't," Dom snapped back.

"Fine," Lily crossed her arms and pouted, "but I'm a shoddy Keeper as well."

Everyone on Dom's team groaned. Couldn't say as I blame them, Lily could be a spoiled little brat sometimes.

"All right. How 'bout this? You are Keeper. You try your damnedest to block the goals, and I won't tell Lorcan that you sleep with a picture of him under your pillow." Molly smirked as everyone else failed to stifle their laughter.

Lily's face went white. "You wouldn't!"

"I most certainly would," Molly countered.

"Fine. Fine. I'll be Keeper." Lily continued to sulk, but knowing her, she would play as well as she could. She couldn't have Lorcan finding out that she fancied him, at least not until he said he fancied her first, which in my opinion was never going to happen.

Five minutes later we were all geared up and ready to go.

The first few times that Dom, Rox, or Hugo shot at me, I fumbled. Hey, it was hard business keeping control of your broom while your hands were busy catching a ball. I forgot how much leg control was needed in order to guide the broom to the correct position. Though, by the end of the match I was feeling pretty confident. I had saved 29 out of 44 shots thrown my way. Not bad, considering I hadn't played in two years. We were only two goals behind when they managed to get the Quaffle in my middle hoop to score the winning goal. I would have loved to have played beyond 150, but I guess four hours of Quidditch was enough for one day.

"Not bad, Rose. You just might get Keeper yet." James clapped me on the back before heading back to the castle.

"Alright, Rose. Same time tomorrow?" Dom asked as the rest of the family shuffled off after James, Lily lagging behind still sulking, even though her team won.

"I guess. Is everyone else coming again?"

"Probably not, but Hugo said he would help, so it'll probably be just the two of us shooting at you. Now tell me... how much do you love me? I know you do." She sent me that annoying grin.

"Yes, yes, I love you. You are the best cousin ever. How would I ever survive without you? Blah. Blah. Blah," I replied in as droll a manner as possible.

"I knew it," Dom said as she hugged me tight and then started running towards the castle.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"Not a bad showing."

My heart jumped. I turned to see Scorpius standing behind me.

"Damn it! You scared me," I said as gripped my hand to my chest.

"Sorry, just thought I would compliment you on your Keeper skills. You did well. How long ago was it that you last played?"

"Two years."

"Wow, then really, not bad at all." He came in to step beside me and we started our walk back to the castle together.

"So, should I be creeped out that you were stalking me?" I asked.

"Not stalking, Weasley, just checking out the team prospects. You can hardly expect a Captain to resist such a draw. Too bad I can't have your brother, too. He is terrific."

"So then, you think I will make it?" I asked, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

He shrugged, "Don't know, you have a fair chance though. I guess we will have to see what happens at tryouts."

"Wanker," I mumbled.

"I can be," he smirked.

The rest of the walk was in complete silence.

**A/N: Well I am trying to get these updated faster, but the real world is taking over my life right now. Trying to close on the house. Trying to get things set up for the Sproggy. Trying not to forget to include the period when doing online bill pay (I accidently wrote a check for $9597 instead of $95.97) Really having some smart moments. I blame the Sprog and all his brain sucking ways. Anyway... thanks for sticking with this. **

**I hope you enjoyed the bit of Scorpius... their interraction will slowly develop more and more... I just cant have them all of a sudden be in love or best mates since they have hardly ever spoken to one another before this year. Anyway... Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks as always goes out to those who dare to review and those who read silently. Also thanks to my wonderful beta Georgia Weasley. **


	5. The SubPar Plan of the Century

Practice on Sunday went better than on Saturday. I was really beginning to get a feel for my new broom, as well as relearning a lot of tricks that I had completely forgotten about. I won't lie, I absolutely loved it.

Monday's classes brought with them the same dread as the week before. Seeing Seven hadn't gotten any easier over the weekend, and there were quite a few classes in which we were stuck in a room together, so to say that I was dreading them would be an understatement. For example, take Double Potions, which was my first class on Monday after my free period. I spent the extra time with Bertram and Tabby going over the potion assignment that we had been given on Wednesday.

I still made more of an effort to look decent, but definitely not as much as I had on that first Monday. What was the point? It wasn't as if Seven even noticed. What he did seem to notice however, was whenever I would talk to another bloke. Well, another bloke who wasn't related to me. Then I could see his eyes narrow slightly, but he would try and mask it as soon as I caught him. Like I wouldn't be able to tell when he was annoyed? Please. We had been together for practically ever, I knew when the git was peeved about something.

So I started making a more concerted effort to speak to guys that were not related to me whenever Seven was nearby. Sure, it was an immature thing to do, but I am sixteen and perfectly within my rights of being immature. Besides, it was working. I saw him clench his fists when Scorpius and I walked by him after dinner last night. I don't know why he should care; he was getting full flirt treatment from Gloria. Scorpius and I were just talking about an Arithmancy project we had been assigned earlier the prior week. It's not like my hand was fingering the hem of his shirt. Stupid Gloria!

Anyway, Tabs, Bertram and I went to Potions together. The scene was very similar to the Monday before. Seven was nowhere to be seen and Six, Al and Gordie were hanging outside. I met up with Six and the rest, deciding I really needed to spend some more time with my best friend.

"You think maybe we could sit together today?" I had asked, and while Al and Gordie both seemed amenable to it, Six actually frowned.

"No, I don't think we can just switch tables like that. Besides, who would Seven sit with?"

Ouch, was it me or was there a draft in this place?

"Oh, I see." I got a sympathetic glance from Al, but Six turned away and started talking to Gordie as if I weren't even there.

I walked back to Tabs and Bertram, who were now joined with Scorpius.

"Where were you during free?" I asked him, though it came out more as an interrogation than in mild to non-interest, which is actually how I felt about the question.

Scorpius raised that infernal eyebrow at me. "Sorry, didn't know I needed to report to anyone. I was just working on some Quidditch drills for try outs."

I huffed, "No, I'm sorry. Six just blew me off and I am taking it out on you."

"You and Six have a falling out then?" Tabby asked.

I thought about it. "Not technically, though I have been avoiding her a bit this past week. It's just been hard being around her. She reminds me so much of my time with Seven, and then I can't even complain to her about it because she's his sister."

"Well, don't complain to me about it either," Tabby added, and though she was smirking I was pretty sure she meant it.

It didn't matter. I really didn't want to complain to her about it, either. In fact, the only person who I wanted to talk to about it was Seven. Stupid sod!

"I won't."

"Good, now that we have that settled. What are you going to do about Six?" The boys drifted away from our conversation. I guess girl drama wasn't that interesting to them. Weird.

"I guess I will try and talk to her sometime today. I'm not sure when though. We can't do it in class, and I don't think lunch will be a good..."

Tabby broke in, "Well you better fix it today. We have enough crap in our dorm to deal with, with Hollace there."

How very true. Hollace had taken to going on and on about Gloria whenever I was nearby. I don't even think it was the torture of the conversation that she enjoyed; I think it was purely because she had nothing else to talk about. Boring, superficial, blonde haired, stuck-up nosed bitch. Sorry, I just don't really care for her much.

We entered the classroom, and there again was Seven. I really wanted to know what the hell was going on with him, but when I chanced a look he turned away from me. Merlin. I thought he had still wanted to be friends and all that crap. Wasn't it the wounded party that got to go around being hurt and avoiding glances?

The rest of potions went by much as it had done before. I made my potion, got top marks, listened to Professor Pucey make comments on Seven's lack of potion making skills, then we broke for lunch. I rushed to the door and waited anxiously outside. During the class I had decided one thing. Seven and I would not go another day without speaking, especially not when there was obviously something going on with him. The rest of the class poured out and I saw the familiar gate of Seven. I pulled at his robe to stop him from going past me. When he turned to see who had held him back, the look of annoyance in his eyes was unmistakable.

"I have to get to lunch," he said in a tired voice.

"Me too. I think we should talk though first." My left thumb had a small hangnail on it.

"About what?" I looked from my damaged thumb to see his exasperation.

"Well, I thought we would talk about what's been going on with us!" I gestured angrily between us.

"Nothing is going on with us. Isn't that the point of a break-up?"

Ouch. What is with those Deciles' today? They really aim for the jugular.

"I didn't mean us as in together us. Damn it, Seven! You just spring this whole break-up thing on me, and then you won't look at me or talk to me. Not to mention whatever is going on with you and potions. You expect me to just forget the past few years and pretend I don't know you?" Wow, I hadn't expected to get so angry.

"Yes." He said shortly, and walked away, leaving me standing in the middle of the dungeon hallway, mouth hanging open.

Why was he being such a complete DICK? Damn it! And now I was crying again.

"He's quite the shit, isn't he?"

"You know, it's really creepy how you keep just showing up around me." I said to Scorpius, though it probably sounded a lot more like gibberish, considering all the sniffling included in the sentence.

He shrugged. "Needed to grab my Arithmancy book." He said as he waved it in front of me.

"Darn, and I was kinda getting used to the idea of my own stalker." My eyes had begun to dry a bit and I sniffled only once more.

"Sorry to disappoint." He chuckled lightly.

We headed towards the Great Hall for lunch, but as soon as we entered I completely lost my appetite.

Seven was sitting with Gloria at the Ravenclaw table, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, and her leaning in for a kiss. It's only been a little more than a week and already he seems to have moved on rather well. How could he? I turned away to hide my tears and walked quickly back out of the Great Hall.

I heard more than one set of footsteps behind me, but I kept going, moving at a faster clip.

"Rose!"

It was a voice I hadn't expected. I turned to find Six and Scorpius standing behind me.

"You okay?" Scorpius asked.

I shook my head. Tears continued to spill from my eyes. Wasn't there a switch or something to turn these darn things off?

"I'm sorry, Rose." Six came closer but I stepped back.

"Sorry for what? Blowing me off today, or because your brother is a right git?" She looked a little taken aback. Good.

"You've been blowing me off all _week_. I was hurt. That doesn't mean you deserve to have to see _that._" She turned up her nose as if there was a rotten smell in the room.

"I just don't understand..." The tears came harder now.

"I'm well...er... I better go and get Tabby or something." Scorpius stammered as he backed away slowly, like our girliness would come out and attack him if he turned his back on us.

I barely registered when he was no longer there. Six wrapped me up in her tiny arms and I bent my head over her shoulder, staining her robes with my fresh tears... and snot. There was quite a bit of snot.

"How... how could he just move on like that?"

"Shh... I don't know, Rose. I don't know." She brushed her fingers through my hair and whispered quieting noises in my ear. I just wanted this all to get better. I wanted to be able to go one day without crying, for Merlin's sake.

"I could kill him, y'know." Tabby sang out from behind Six. I looked up to see her standing there, the same awful smell apparently reaching her nose as well.

"No offence, Six, but I doubt you'll really miss him anyway. Not a git like that."

I could feel Six stiffen a bit in my arms, but she quickly relaxed again as she sighed out heavily, "I know. He is a git."

We broke apart and I looked at her.

"I'm sorry I was avoiding you. I just, it was just.... I felt bad complaining to you about your brother, and I didn't want to put you in the middle."

She nodded, "Yeah, but how can I not be? I won't stop being your best friend, and he won't stop being my brother. Just know that anything you tell me will be in confidence, and feel free to whine about him as much as you like." She smiled up at me and I did my best to return it.

"Enough with this cheese. How are we going to make him eat shit and die?" Leave it to Tabby to break up a heartfelt moment.

"I don't know about him dying," Six scrunched up her face in thought, "but I know a way to make him crazy..."

****

It was a horrible idea. Completely terrible. It might possibly wreck a friendship or two. It could even cause a broken heart, or at the very least a broken fist, by the way Six was telling it. So, here is the deal.

Apparently, Seven has this idea in his head that I am dating Scorpius Malfoy. A ridiculous notion for various reasons, 1 - still in love with Seven. 2 - Don't really dig the blonds, even the good looking ones (yes, I can admit that he is attractive without being attracted) and 3 - we just freaking started talking more than five words to one another this week. It is almost an insult that Seven would even come close to believing this garbage. So the plan is to talk to Scorpius as much as possible in front of Seven, not really that hard since I was sort of doing that anyway. Anything to make it appear as if we are an item, though obviously not a very affectionate one since I highly doubt I could convince Scorpius to go along with this ruse and really I don't even want to try. It is a little embarrassing, being this desperate to get back at your ex, or get back with your ex. I will take either version of this scenario.

It is not that devilish, I admit. I mean, I have had more intricate plans to get out of Transfiguration. But according to Six, Seven has hated Scorpius since fourth year when they had had some falling out. Six was unsure about the details. Seven refused to talk about it. All she knew was that one minute they were friends and the next, mortal enemies. It was a little odd if you ask me.

Anyway, the point is that Seven hates Scorpius, so the idea of me being with Scorpius is torture. Yay for torture! We started initiating the plan that night. It wasn't weird for me to sit next to Scorpius instead of across from him at dinner. Actually, Six and Tabs arranged it so no one would ever think twice about it. It isn't my fault that it was the only place left. I made sure to smile a bit more; if I was to be in a relationship with Scorpius then I should at least look happy about it. I also did everything not to look over at Seven, who had Gloria sitting with him at the Gryffindor table for this meal. I hardly noticed when she went in and licked the bit of mashed potato that was on his lip. I am not sure in what world that is sexy, but in mine it is just a little gross. Chocolate, yes, mashed potato... definite no.

"Are you all right?" Scorpius looked over at me and I smiled widely.

"Of course I am, why?"

He shrugged, "Because your smile is starting to scare the first years."

I slapped him playfully on the arm, "Oh, Scorpius, you're so funny." I inwardly grimaced.

Scorpius just raised an eyebrow at me and looked down to the shoulder I had just slapped.

"I think I might have to take you to the hospital wing." He put his hand to my forehead, "Nope. No fever."

I slapped it away, perhaps a little less playfully this time.

"Of course I don't have a fever. I am fine. Now, eat your carrots and shut up."

I scowled at my own carrots, but then remembered I was supposed to be smiling. Sod it all, smiling was for the birds... or wait?

"Can birds smile?" Shite. Did I just say that out loud?

"Okay, now I really am concerned. Let's go." He pulled me up, pushing his food onto my plate and taking my plate with him, and held me by the arm as he escorted me out of the Great Hall.

I yanked away from him once we were out the large doors.

"What are you doing?" I huffed.

"The better questions is... what are you doing? Are you on something?" He actually looked a bit concerned.

"No, wait. What? You think I am on something?"

"I don't know, but all this smiling and talk of birds, when just this morning you were a sobbing wreck. Just wanted to make sure you weren't hopped up on anything."

"Thanks," I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster, which I have to admit, is quite a lot. "But I am not, nor have I ever been 'hopped up' on anything. Where did you even learn that word?"

"On an American muggle TV show I saw when my dad took me to New York."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm surprised your dad let you watch a TV. Isn't he supposed to be all anti-muggle?"

Oops. That was a little rude.

Scorpius apparently thought so as well because he scowled at me, "No, he is not."

"Sorry, I didn't mean. My dad just... oh, never mind."

"Fine."

He was still holding the plate.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, gesturing down to the food.

"I was going to eat this food if you don't mind." He started walking towards the stairs and took a seat on the second one up. I stood there, just looking on as he grabbed the steak in hand and took a bite.

"You going to eat or what?" he asked once the bite had been thoroughly chewed.

I walked over and took a seat on the step below him. He pulled my arm up and made me sit next to him.

"I don't like staring at hair while I am eating." he said as his excuse. Whatever.

I took my own steak between my thumb and forefinger and took a smallish bite. I still wasn't really very hungry; getting dumped should be sold as an appetite suppressant.

"I'm sorry, you know, about what I said about your dad."

He shrugged as he chewed on a carrot.

"Nothing I haven't heard before."

That made me feel worse. Poor guy, it must suck to go through school with everyone thinking your family is pretty much the shits. I get the good side; my family was all heroes, which in all honesty has its drawbacks as well. Like when people only want to be your friend because of who you parents are. But I bet it is a lot lonelier if people don't want to be your friend for the same reason.

"Sorry," I said again, though I could tell he was getting annoyed. "So what kind of drills did you get together for try outs?" I asked in order to change the subject.

"Miss Weasley, you wouldn't be trying to cheat now would you?" His mock-shocked expression made me giggle a little.

"Perhaps. Would it work?"

"Not on your life."

I grabbed the baby carrot stick that he was holding to his mouth and took a bite. I started chewing with a large 'HAHA' grin on my face when the doors to the Great Hall opened and Seven walked out.

He was scowling. Is it horrible that all I could think at this moment was 'Tee Hee.' I hadn't even been trying to get him jealous and it worked out anyway. He walked towards us, and I could see him fingering his wand in his pocket.

"Excuse me," he said in a stony voice.

Scorpius and I just looked at each other, and each of us scooted towards the opposite end of the staircase before Seven climbed up. When he had passed, Scorpius and I went back to sitting side by side. We shared the 'look'. You know the one you get when you are in the presence of something ridiculous, like when Mrs. Scamander comes by with nargle-proof mistletoe. I just don't get boys, I guess. Or perhaps I just don't get Seven, not the way I thought I did. A thought which immediately saddened me once again.

Scorpius, sensing the change in my mood, got up. "C'mon, maybe the squid will come by the window tonight."

"Yeah, maybe." I said half heartedly, but grabbed his proffered hand and rose from the step. I chanced a look behind us and saw that Seven had stopped on the landing, staring down at us. As with every other time I caught him looking at me, he turned away, this time storming up the remaining stairs with loud stomps that echoed in the stairwell. I didn't feel so good about my plan anymore.

**A/N: One week… Not too shabby right? So how was her Sub Par plan? Did you enjoy? What do you think the results will be? Love to hear from you all.**

**Thanks so much for reading and special thanks for those who review. Also I would like to throw my love to Georgia Weasley who rocks at beta-ing my horribly grammatically incorrect ramblings. **


	6. Idle Gossip

I had sort of given up on 'the plan'. I know it was only one day, and I am not a quitter, except for when I stopped playing Quidditch, but that is beside the point. The point is that I had thought better of Six's little plan. It wasn't as much fun to torture Seven as I thought it would be. Anyway, there was no use dragging Scorpius into the middle of things.

It didn't mean that I no longer talked to him, but I did stop making those obnoxious flirting overtures. Which was probably good, considering Scorpius had started thinking I was mental. My flirting capabilities must be rusty after all this time. I should probably practice, but I think I will limit it to people who I don't actually hang out with, like the bloke who picks his nose. I could flirt with him. It might be gross, but practically a guaranteed better success rate.

I, of course, would do this practicing while no one was looking. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in case The Nose Picker rejected me. It could happen. He could prefer blondes the way I prefer brunettes. Or maybe he's into red-headed girls, but likes them taller, or shorter, or, y'know, not horrible flirts. Okay, I need to stop rambling, especially when I know I will never try my hand at flirting with The Nose Picker. Ugh.

When I told Six about what had happened with Seven catching me and Scorpius on the stairs, she actually looked a bit happy about it. Maybe Seven has been a shite to her as well. In fact, odds were that he had, given that he could often times be a dickhead to his twin for no reason other than that she would take it. I always wondered why it was that she ended up in Slytherin and not him. It definitely didn't go with the general mold, though I'm not sure what that says about me. I stay hopeful and think that the reason I was sorted in was because of my ambition, my drive, and my "go get 'em" attitude. This, although lacking a bit so far this year, had always served me well in the past. Given the circumstances though, you can't really blame me.

Damn. What was with my mind wandering? It must be the monotonous droning of Professor Binns. He could go on, especially in Double History of Magic, which was another name for nap time. Usually, I was pretty good about paying attention, or at least staying awake. I guess break-ups will also cause loss of focus. Okay, so that will be just another warning that I can put on my new retail weight loss project. See, I am not completely wasting my time, I am thinking up a business plan. I'm taking my bad experiences and making them work for me. Merlin, I really needed to stop going off on these tangents.

I felt a tickling at the back of my neck, which I quickly slapped away. A few seconds later it was there again. I felt at the back of my neck, but there was nothing there. When it happened the third time I reacted more quickly than before, this time catching the end of what I found to be a quill. I turned to see Tabby smirking behind me.

"What?"

"I heard that you and Scorpius were caught shagging in the front hall."

My mouth dropped. "Wha- ? That's insane."

Tabby shrugged, "It's just what I heard. I thought you might be interested to know."

I scowled and turned back to my book. The words blurred together on the page as I stared, unseeing. How could Seven spread such lies? It had to have been him, no one else saw us in the hallway even though we were far, far from shagging. What was wrong with that boy? I was beginning to question what I wanted him back for, the jerk.

I couldn't wait for class to end, and now it was more than just getting out of the soporific environment. As soon as the bell tolled I shot up and over to where Scorpius was placing his book in his bag.

"Where's the fire?" he asked.

"People think we had sex in the entry hall," I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.

"C'mon Rose no one thinks that."

He took a look at my very serious, horrified face. Then he laughed. Outright laughed! Why would this be in the least bit funny? I scowled as Scorpius dropped his bag and literally bent over and slapped his thigh. He fricking slapped his thigh! So, I slapped him on the back of his bent head. Wanker.

"This is not funny."

"You sure about that?" He took in my evil glaring expression and sobered slightly.

"Okay, look," a trace of a chuckle was still in his voice, "no one in their right mind would ever believe that."

He started walking towards the door, and I of course followed.

"Well then why is this apparently spreading like wildfire around the school?"

Of course he wasn't pissed; this made him look like a stud. Me, I get to look like a damned Scarlet Woman. They will all start calling me 'that slut'.

"Probably because people are bored. No one will honestly believe that we slept together."

"Why? Because I'm not good enough for you?" Okay, I think I might have watched one too many muggle romance movies this summer.

"Yes, Rose. Because you are not good enough for me." His dry wit was really beginning to chafe me.

"Sorry, but you're going to come out of this smelling like roses."

As soon as I said it, I knew the smirk that would play on his face. Hell, even I couldn't stop from smiling at it.

"Don't worry about it, Rose. Really. The more you play into this rubbish the worse it will be. No one will even remember this once the next scandal breaks."

Maybe he was right; no one in their right mind would believe this. Tabby might have just been joking anyway.

"Aw, look at the two love birds..." It was Al. Damn snarky arsehole. "Malfoy, I would really appreciate you not shtupping my cousin in public places." He smiled though, which meant that Scorpius was right. No one would believe this rubbish.

"Did you just say shtupping?"

"Yeah, Yiddish word of the day toilet paper. Max got it from his grand mum this summer."

Scorpius and I shared a look.

"Interesting." We both said at the same time.

Al then looked between us, "Hey wait? Is it true then?"

"Is what true?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew what he was talking about.

"Did you and Malfoy over here get coital?" He got his big brother face on, which was annoying because 1 - he was not my brother and, 2 - I am two months older than him.

"Of course not." I hit him in the arm, probably a little harder than necessary, but the point needed getting across.

"Alright, but I'll be watching you two." He winked at us and then went on his way towards the Great Hall.

Unfortunately, he was only one of few who actually didn't give heed to the rumor. As Scorpius and I walked down the hall, we endured stares and whispers of fellow students. Scorpius remained calm, as if he didn't even notice, which he might not have. I, however, clenched and unclenched my hands in my pockets so hard that I might have pierced the skin of my palm with my fingernails.

When we got to our seats I felt a little bit better, hopefully the food would distract people from talking anymore.

"You have got to be kidding me!" The irritating pitch made me want to claw at my ears.

"Evening, Hollace." Scorpius said in an indifferent tone.

"Please tell me it isn't so, Scorpie." She squeezed her twig like frame in between us.

His jaw clenched, I can't say as I blame him, I wouldn't want to be getting fawned on by Hollace either. Oh, and that pet name was awful also.

"It isn't so. Now if you wouldn't mind, Rose and I were talking."

She pouted, but rose to her feet and walked over to her normal place by Jocelyn.

"Oh Scorpie, say it isn't so." I fluttered my lashes at him.

"Oh look, it's foreplay." Tabby came and sat across from us.

Scorpius laughed. Git.

"Not funny." I growled.

"That's what you get for calling me Scorpie."

Self-righteous git.

"Oh, no. Did I start a lovers' quarrel?"

"Just shove it, Tabs." I forgot again why I was friends with this girl. It is amazing how easily I can do that.

"Whatever." She reached for the beef stew and poured herself a bowl.

"Way to score a Weasley!" Thaddius Gamp came by and tried to give Scorpius a high five. Thankfully, Scorpius was smart enough not to raise a hand. Good boy. Still a git though; but against Thaddius it was really hard to see that.

He followed through with his fiver by slapping Scorpius on the back. Thaddius didn't seem to realize that everyone around was shooting death glares his way.

"When you're done, do you think I could take a turn?"

"I would suggest that you leave," Scorpius said in a calm voice while I reached for my wand.

"Why would I do that?" Gamp asked.

"Because I would wager 100 galleons that Rose is about to hex you so badly that you won't be able to 'take a turn' on anyone, ever." His calm voice belied the heat that I could see in his eyes, each one boring a hole into Gamp's thick skull.

Gamp looked over to me, and after seeing my wand drawn, withdrew quickly from our presence.

"You should have hexed him," Tabby said, as her eyes trailed after his loping form.

"He's not worth it," Scorpius said as he stabbed at the food on his plate.

"Thanks." I whispered when Tabby had started focusing fully on her stew.

"He's a git. It was my pleasure."

"Well, thanks anyway."

He nodded his head in response.

The rest of dinner went on with various comments being made. Six had decided to sit with Gordie and Al… and Seven. I was a little peeved at first, but that was before I looked over and saw her wagging her finger at him, practically red in the face with anger. Go, Six, tell your brother what a wanker he is.

Ade came by to talk about it, but left shortly after James decided to pay me a visit as well. His message to Scorpius was a bit more severe in nature.

"We are not together! Or shagging!" I cried in exasperation for all the good it did me. Although James didn't seem to believe the rumor, he also didn't seem to believe me that Scorpius and I weren't an item.

"It's not even been two bleeding weeks since Seven and I broke up." I didn't know my voice could go that high.

"Doesn't seem to have stopped him."

I was struck speechless.

"Don't be a prat, Potter. We're not together. Your cousin is safe from the evil Malfoy."

I guess Scorpius' deadpan look was more convincing than my screeching. Go figure.

"He says he didn't start it," Six stated as she plopped onto the third seat at what was coming to be mine and Scorpius' spot in the common room.

"Yeah, right!" I huffed.

"I really don't think he did. He actually seemed pretty pissed about the whole thing."

I rolled my eyes while Scorpius continued to read unconcernedly.

"He told me all he said was that you two looked pretty chummy and might as well have been going at it. He was probably over heard and then, well you know how things can get twisted..."

"So he was pissed huh? Why? He doesn't care." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Rose, don't be stupid of course he cares."

"Could've fooled me."

Wow, I was really turning sour. Thing is, I didn't really feel like being any other way right then. The whole freaking school thought that Scorpius and I had shagged in the Entrance Hall. Besides that, my ex-boyfriend of less than two weeks was already off snogging someone else. I had every right to be a moody witch. Six, obviously not knowing how to respond to my nastiness, smartly didn't.

"Oi, get your hands off me, you plank." SMACK!

Six and I wheeled our heads around, and even Scorpius looked up from whatever book he was reading. There, in the middle of the common room, was Tabby, and in front of her was a stunned Thaddius Gamp, holding onto his cheek. Even from a distance I could see a vibrant red poking out from between his fingers. She stomped away from him and over to our little group, but as soon as she got near the scowl that she had been wearing turned into an evil smirk.

"Bloody wanker." She sat down on the arm of my chair.

"What in the bleeding hell was that all about?" I asked, looking up at her wild green streaked black hair, which was flying a bit out of control at the moment.

"Thought he needed to get hit after what he said at dinner," she said offhandedly.

"So did he grope you or not?" Six asked.

"Not. Thank Merlin. But no one will know that."

I just shook my head at her, a smile slowly forming on my lips. She was infuriating, no doubt about that, but I had to admit, the girl had style.

"You don't think Thaddius will tell?" asked Six.

"Nah, better to have people think that he was trying to grope me than that I slapped him for the hell of it. Besides, the boy is so dense that he might even believe he had groped me." Tabby ran her hands through her hair in order to tame the fly-aways.

"Too bad, he is still pretty fit." Six observed, to which she was met with two gasps and one snort.

"Don't tell him that, he'll likely spend the rest of the night in the dorm room flexing in front of the mirror." Scorpius snorted once more.

"That's it! That's what you need Rose!" Tabby said, as if she had just discovered America or something.

"What's it?" Six and I asked in unison.

"You need to find yourself a nice PBD bloke to get your mind off of 'The Git."

"I'm sorry, PBD?" Scorpius raised a brow.

"Pretty, But Dumb," I translated for him.

He nodded. "Ah, I see."

"Of course, that's if you don't mind your girlfriend going off with some handsome gent." Tabby winked at Scorpius.

"Leave me out of this," Scorpius said, and he went back to reading his book.

Tabby and Six went on to list some of the eligible candidates. Scorpius, I noticed, hadn't turned the page of his book, though he never commented on their dishy choices. There was Jasper Hart, 7th year Gryffindor heartthrob. I can't say I would mind spending some time with him, though he was a little thick. I think I could bear it... if I had to.

"Ooh, what about Miles Flynn?" Six suggested.

"Yeah, he's good; he is a Slytherin, too. I don't know how dumb he is, though. He doesn't really speak much." Tabby shrugged. "We should keep him as a maybe, y'know, if Jasper doesn't work out."

"There is Amit Singh. He's in Seven's dorm with Al and Gordie. That could really piss off Seven." I was beginning to further understand Six's Slytherin-like tendencies. She could be ruthless, even to her own brother.

"No to Amit. He is dating that Gryffindor Chaser. No point in trying to break up one relationship in order to get over an already broken one." I couldn't believe I was actually getting involved in this. I mean, it wasn't like I would really go through with anything, though the thought of dishy Jasper on my arm did not turn my stomach. Nope, definitely not.

"What about Buster?"

"Now, I know you must be joking!" I shouted to Tabby, who, if I didn't know better, had blushed.

"Well obviously," Tabby waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, my god! You fancy Buster." I gasped.

"No, I told you I was joking."

"Liar."

She stood and gave me her evil stare.

"Rose, I said that I was joking." Her teeth were clenched and I could barely make out the words. I forced back a giggle.

"Tabby, why lie? I mean, he is pretty fit." I tried so hard to keep a straight face. I noticed that Six leaned back in her chair, in order to avoid the onset of fury Tabby looked like she was about to unleash. She was a smart girl, that Six.

"I. Do. Not. Fancy. Buster." She punctuated each word with a stabbing finger into my forehead.

"Ouch. Merlin, Tabs! I like how you can tease me and Scorpius all day, but I can't get on you for harboring a secret crush on Buster Finch-Fletchly."

She growled and then stormed off. Once she was out of ear shot Six, Scorpius and I all busted out laughing. It was rather therapeutic.

"What are you guys so giggly about?" Bertram came over, pushing his glasses further onto his nose.

"I do not giggle!" Scorpius admonished.

"Nothing really, just Tabby's little crush on a certain Hufflepuff." I continued to laugh out at the very idea. Technically there was nothing wrong with Buster. He was a Prefect, dressed pretty smart, and was really rather nice. The main problem was we all suspected that he was a bit of a pouf. Nothing wrong with being gay, but it did make it rather hard to get him to go on a date. He tended to go for the more muscular, hairy type rather than curvy - or in Tabby's case, not as curvy.

"It is too bad that he prefers blokes. He is pretty dishy." Six mused.

"Eh, he's all right, but you know how I feel about blondes," I said offhandedly.

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with blondes?" Bertram asked, giving me a pointed look. Scorpius too seemed interested.

"Nothing, just not my preference. Don't worry Bertram, dear. I am sure plenty of other girls in this school prefer their men Tall, Light, and Handsome."

I looked up to see Bertram blushing. Ah, what fun it was to bring out the color in that boy.

"I am trying to study here, if you guys don't mind." Scorpius chastised.

I gave him a questioning look. He didn't usually mind when we got a little loud. Perhaps it was the quiz we had tomorrow in Transfiguration.

"I better get to bed anyway," Six said, and since Scorpius seemed to be in a foul mood I decided to go with her.

"Night Bertram. Night Scorpius." I kissed Bertram on the cheek in a playful manner and the blush that had just gone down rose once more. We really needed to find him a girl. Poor sod, I don't think he's ever even been on a date.


	7. Keeping' it Real

I got my homework all taken care of in the first half of the week, so I spent the second half practicing for Keeper try-outs. Dom couldn't practice with me anymore that week, but Hugo came out on Thursday and Roxy on Friday night. All in all I would say that I was definitely not half bad. I mean, I was no professional by any means, but I could keep a fair few Quaffles away from my hoops.

So on try-out day, I was pretty confident. For some reason I felt if I was able to make the team, I knew I would be okay. The break-up with Seven would have served some sort of purpose, even if that purpose was just to play a bit of Quidditch while at Hogwarts. I was determined. I was prepared. I was nervous as shit. I could feel the butterflies flapping incessantly in my stomach from the moment I woke up. This morning I wasn't even able to keep down the apple that had become my breakfast staple since school started, not to mention the lack of lunch.

All of my family came by the table at lunch to give me words of encouragement.

"You can do it Rose, just stay focused," encouraged Dom.

"You tend to lean to the left, try to focus on staying straight," advised Hugo.

"Knock those Quaffles out Rosie Posie," Al chimed in.

"Yeah," Gordie agreed.

"Kick some Slytherin ass," cheered Lucy and Molly.

And it went on. James whispered something about letting him know if I needed anyone hexed out of the running, and Fred and Roxy both offered to slip my competition some skiving snack boxes. Lily came by with Louis and Lysander, all wishing me luck. Lorcan and Ade both gave me thumbs up from the Ravenclaw table, and I saw a wave from Annie at the Hufflepuff end. It was great, all the support that I was getting from my lovely family and friends, until I noticed that the only people wishing me well from my house were Six, Tabs, Bertram, and Scorpius.

I guess that's what happens after years of neglecting my fellow Slytherins to hang out with Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. I smiled, even though I could feel the tense knots forming in my stomach. It would be fine.

Scorpius gestured towards the Hall doors fifteen minutes before two. I guess it was time. A smattering of other Slytherins, all holding brooms trailed behind us.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"A little," I admitted.

"You'll be fine. Just don't let anything in." Damn his stupid smirking face.

"Thanks."

He winked in response to my sarcasm. Once everyone had gathered at the pitch, I saw that there was quite a crowd in the stands. Seeing that a good deal of them had red hair, I figured out who comprised the majority of the audience. However, on the other side I could make out the long blonde tresses of one Van-bitch-face among the crowd, which meant that there were a fair few Slytherins watching as well. No pressure or anything.

"Okay. We'll start out with some flying drills for right now. Everyone start at this set of goal posts," Scorpius gestured to his right, "and fly to that one and then back again."

There were about twenty people out on the pitch, brooms in hands. We all mounted, some more quickly than others. One girl, in her over eagerness to get up in the air, overshot and ended up falling off before she had gotten a chance to really get on. Scorpius threw a thumb behind him in a way that brooked no argument; her tears were evident from 10 feet up, which is where I was located. I flew higher, other people to the left, right, front and back of me. I could see the dark hair of Miles Flynn up ahead; his muscular frame appeared almost too large to be held up by a small piece of wood. Tabby was right though, he was pretty fit.

Scorpius was able to eliminate four more people just on the basic flying drill alone. Then he broke us up into groups, those who wanted to be Chasers, Beaters, and Keepers.

Seven people flew up into the air at Scorpius' instructions and started throwing around the Quaffle. A Second year boy managed to drop the Quaffle on top of Scorpius, which cause a scowl, a lump, and an immediate thumbing out. He narrowed down the Chaser selection to three and then moved onto the Beaters.

There were five people holding clubs. The first was a scrawny bucktoothed girl who couldn't have been older than third year, if that. Then there were two blokes that looked like they had eaten a baby walrus for breakfast, and two others that were pretty average, if not a little bit bulky. Watching the Beaters try out served to help relieve some of the tension that was beginning to build in my shoulders. There really was nothing funnier than watching someone spin around in mid air after completely missing the bludger and knocking himself on the head instead.

Scorpius was able to eliminate Beaters until all that was left was one of the walrus-eaters and the small girl. She really was pretty incredible. Not as good of a form as Lucy or Molly, but she was young yet.

Then it was the Keeper try out. Scorpius had his prospective Chasers throw the Quaffle while we were sent to protect the hoops. It was me, Miles Flynn, a fourth year boy with large bug eyes, and Thaddius Gamp. Whatever happened, Thaddius could not become the Slytherin Keeper.

Bug-eye went first. When his name was called his eyes bugged out even more, causing me to feel a bit nervous that they might just pop out of his head. Claudius Stradmore, or

Bug-eye, flew up to the hoops and then some, having to stop and descend a bit to get into position. Then the Chasers-to-be let him have it. Two of the girls played really well off of one another and got three goals past him right away. The lone boy shot once and Bug-eyes saved it. His eyes retreated into his head a little; I almost couldn't see the whites of them anymore. Scorpius thumbed him out a few more misses and one more save later.

The boy Chaser was also cast out. Bug-eye and Boy Chaser descended back to ground level. Bug-eye wore a glassy look, while Boy-Chaser shot ominous looks in Bug-Eye's direction.

Next, it was my turn. I only had to watch out for the two girls, but they were both pretty intense. I wondered how Scorpius was going to choose between the two. Then I got my head in the game when I saw a bright red Quaffle careening towards it. I saved it by the tips of my fingers. A little too close a call! Now jolted into action, I focused fiercely on the two girls, only letting two out of the twelve thrown my way slide by. One from each girl. Though I hoped that the taller one got on, the way the shorter one gloated made me want to punch her in the face a little.

Thankfully, I wasn't thumbed out, but Scorpius indicated that my try-out was up. Instead of landing on the pitch, I flew over to my family to watch the rest of the try-out from there. Six was sitting along with everyone, while Tabby sat with Bertram between herself and the non-Slytherin entity. I let my family and friends all compliment me, letting it get to my head only a little bit. I mean, I was pretty freakin' awesome.

It was Thaddius' turn; I could see his thick skull from here. He started off pretty well, which pissed me off, but then it looked as if he began flirting instead of saving and let in three Quaffles in a row. By the fourth one, Thaddius wasn't even hovering near the goal posts and was instead making a lewd gesture to the taller Chaser. Needless to say, Scorpius thumbed him out as well. I don't know why he even bothered to let him try; there was no way that Thaddius Gamp would have been a good member of any team.

Last it was Miles. There were several shouts from the Slytherin side. A lot of them sounded pretty girly, probably because Miles was the dishiest man on the pitch. From the first, I could tell he had good form. He hovered in the center of the hoops, not leaning at all to the left. I wasn't surprised when he went six in a row without a single slip up. When the shorter Chaser managed to shoot the Quaffle past him there were several boos and jeers from the Slytherins, and though I tried to stifle them, a few cheers from my friends. James and Fred were the rowdiest.

There were several more attempts, only one of which gained any more misses from Miles. Shite, he was good. When Scorpius called Miles down, I figured it was time to hear the news. My shoulders slumped a little, even though Tabby was trying to convince me that Scorpius would definitely let his girlfriend on the team. I shot a stinging hex her way, and then stuck out my tongue before flying downwards to my impending rejection. Yet another one.

"You were both good," Scorpius said in his calm, all-business voice, "but I'm afraid that Miles was a sight better." He looked at me with only a small trace of sympathy on his face. Well sod him, two weeks of friendship obviously meant nothing.

"How is that? We caught the same number!" I asked, my arms crossed across my chest.

"Well, he doesn't lean to the left, and you almost missed that first shot," Scorpius said, looking me dead in the eye. Stupid sod, didn't even have the decency to look ashamed of his choice. I didn't know what to say, so I stood there with my mouth agape. Miles smiled a broad grin that showed off a set of straight, white teeth. When I shot him my stoniest glare his smile faltered. Good!

"You were really good, too." Miles said to me as I started skulking away.

"Yeah, I was bleeding fantastic."

He jogged to catch up to my quickly retreating legs. "No, really. I was close to diving right instead of left on that last shot. I would have totally missed it if I had."

I gave him a wan smile. "Yet, you didn't."

"No. S'pose not."

He stopped trailing me and I left the pitch, not interested to see who made Beater. I figured that the Chaser position would go to the shorter girl. She had gotten the second goal past Miles, as well. I guess it's for the best. I probably would have ended up kicking her at some point anyway.

I found the dorm room empty and pulled the curtains around my bed to block out any light. Too bad they didn't block out all sounds, namely Hollace Van-Bitch-Face.

"I'm so glad Miles got Keeper. Could you imagine how obnoxious Weasley would be if she had gotten it?" Did the girl just grow up with bitch coming out of her mouth?

"She was good though," Jocelyn said.

"Whatever. She was passable. Though, I think Thaddius was much better. If he hadn't gotten distracted..."

"Yeah," Jocelyn's complacent voice simpered. It was almost more irritating to listen to her brown-nosing than Hollace talking.

"Are you really going to wear that?" Hollace asked in her condescending manner.

"No, of course not. I was just changing."

There were minutes of shuffling, then, "I guess that will be okay. You don't look as fat."

More sounds of shuffling, a "brilliant", and tapping footfalls later, I was once again alone.

I guess this would just be the year of loneliness. Stupid Scorpius and his fair captaining. I knew there was a reason I hadn't talked to him much all these years. In fact, I remember my dad telling me specifically not to talk to him. Why did I never listen to my father?

I punched my fist into my pillow, creating a large dent for me to stuff my face in. Screaming never felt so good. There was something magical about yelling into a feather pillow that really released the pressure in my head. Pressure that had been building ever since Seven had dumped me. Stupid fucking twat! I hated him. I officially hated the bloody git. It was all his fault. His fault that I did not get on the Quidditch team, his fault that now everyone at school thought I was some skank, his fault that I no longer had anyone to snog on rainy nights. It was all because of him that I was laying here alone in my dorm screaming into a sodding pillow. WANKER!

"Rose? You in here?" Six's voice broke through the darkness of my hideaway.

"No!" I groaned.

"Oh c'mon. You were great out there. Don't get all sulky again." The light that invaded my space made me hold my hand up against my eyes. Granted it was the dungeons, so not nearly as bright as say… the Gryffindor dorms, but when those lanterns were lit, it could definitely blind a person who wasn't expecting it.

"Hey!"

"Sorry," She started to close the curtain a bit when Tabby burst into the room.

"Don't you dare apologize. Get up Rose! Your behavior is unacceptable!" She wrenched the curtains back fully, leaving me exposed to the damp air and bright lights.

"Gee, thanks, mum."

"Shut it. I am not going to let you sulk again. It's annoying." She then pulled my duvet up and me out of the bed.

"Now get showered and dressed, we are going to celebrate in the common room with the rest of our house." Why was I friends with this girl? Really, I want to know. I listened to her though, but only because she was kinda scary, with a little bit of drool hanging from the side of her mouth. Maybe she had rabies.

I drew out my shower, rewashing my hair and body twice, before getting out.

"'Bout time." Tabby said.

Six was rifling through my trunk, throwing jumpers and trousers aside with a pile of skirts, a couple of tops, and a dress on my bed.

"Can I ask what you're doing? Or would that be considered complaining?" I asked as I stepped further into the room, my bath towel wrapped snugly around me.

"Just sorting out what you're going to wear."

"Denims and a jumper are fine," I say as I grabbed a pair of jeans and a red jumper from the floor.

"I don't think so." Six pulled the clothes from my grasp and throwing them back on the floor.

"What is the point?" I asked. "I don't even want to go."

"The point," she said as she put a green silk skirt into my hands along with a white blouse, "is that you won't look like such a sore loser. Also, maybe getting out of your comfort zone is exactly what you need. Tabby is right; your sulking has got to stop. And it stops today."

"Fine," I practically shout, "but I won't like it!" I couldn't help it; the petulant child in me came out in full force.

"You'll like it just fine." Tabby added from in front of the mirror where she was applying a layer of her special 'no smudge' eye liner that she makes herself.

I let Six do my hair and make-up under protest, although my protest consisted of a couple of grumbles, some 'this isn't going to do any good's', and crossed arms.

"There, you look wonderful. Well, except for that scowl. Try smiling." She prodded as she picked up one side of my mouth with her finger. I showed my teeth. It was not exactly a smile, but it was the best she was going to get.

"Maybe later then." She gave in.

"Ready?" Tabby asked as Six guided me towards the mirror.

"Almost. Now Rose, take a look. Pretty, right?"

I looked in the mirror for only a second. I was still under revolt. In that brief glimpse, I did notice that it wasn't too shabby. I wouldn't have put so much shadow on my eyes, and perhaps a more neutral lip gloss, but all in all Six did a pretty good job. But I still was revolting!

"Yeah, I look great. Now can we get this over with?" I turned and stomped out of the room. I heard Six and Tabby following behind me.

The house elves had brought the dinner into the common room and there was a bowl of pumpkin juice sitting in the corner. Thaddius and two of his younger cohorts were crowded around it, appearing to have a pumpkin juice chugging contest. Were they for real? Thaddius crushed the paper cup against his forehead when he was done. Yep, apparently he was very much 'for real'. I think there should be a law against allowing him to ever breed. Maybe I could ask my mum to look into that.

I went over to peruse the dinner spread that had been laid buffet-style across a long table against the back wall. I didn't really want to eat, but the idea of going into the middle of the throng of people cheering for the new team members was even less appealing than the pot roast. There was a small crowd around that younger, buck-toothed Beater girl. Guess she must have made the team. The walrus-eater didn't seem too pleased with this and was sulking in a corner being cajoled by his other walrus-eater mate and a stick figure of a girl who was stroking his hair and placing kisses along his jaw bone, both of which gestures seemed to go unnoticed by him.

A larger group was crowded around the short Chaser, including her tall Chaser competitor who didn't appear to be taking her rejection badly at all. The tall one was glorifying as much in her friends' lime light as she probably would have had she gotten the position herself.

Last was the large group of girls that were surrounding Miles as he sat stretched out on the couch, ostensibly ignoring all of them and instead embroiled in a game of Wizards Chess with another seventh year whose name I couldn't remember. Maybe he wasn't all PBD after all.

"You gonna eat that, or just stare at it?"

Scowling, I turned to see Scorpius. I took a large chunk of pot roast onto my plate and huffed over to the pumpkin juice.

Thankfully Thad and his cronies had moved away, the only saving grace of the day. I poured myself a glass and took a small sip.

"You can't ignore me all night."

Stupid prat. Couldn't he see that I very well could? Instead of answering I drank down my whole glass of pumpkin juice in one swig.

"C'mon, Rose. You were good, but Miles was just a little bit better."

I squinted dangerously at him as I poured myself another glass. The pumpkin juice was really exceptionally tasty tonight, probably because I hadn't had anything to drink to refresh myself after try-outs.

"It's better this way. He's a seventh year. You can try-out again next year, and he can't."

Scorpius was really beginning to grate on my nerves.

"Besides, can you imagine the rumors that would go around if I had chosen you over him? I would have lost all respect as a Captain."

"You really don't know when to shut the hell up do you?" I finally asked, taking down the last sip of my second glass before taking a bite of my pot roast; which tasted like moldy socks.

"Guess not." He shrugged.

I continued to chew on the same bit of pot roast. It really was the most horrible stuff ever. I can't remember the house elves ever preparing anything this disgusting.

"So... we all right?" He asked as I finally finished the ever-chew bite.

"No, we are definitely not all right." I took one more glass of pumpkin juice to wash down that horrible bite, dumped my plate of pot roast on top of Scorpius' head, and went to find my real friends.

Six was sitting on the arm of the couch that Miles was playing chess on, her back to the game. There were still a few giggling girls near-by, but for the most part they had dispersed, probably after noticing that Miles couldn't have cared less about them.

"Nice job with Malfoy. Too bad he's so good with his charm work. I wouldn't have minded seeing him sport that pot roast for a bit longer."

I turned back to see that he was, in fact, cleaned of all chopped meat products. Stupid prat.

"Having fun yet?" she asked with an overly cheerful smile on her face.

"Oh yes, it has been ever such a lovely time." I put on my best posh accent and stuck my pinky up when sipping my juice.

"It can't be all that bad. I mean, until two weeks ago you didn't even want to play Quidditch."

Ever the reasonable Six.

"That is not the point. I changed my mind and now I do want to play Quidditch, and the worst part is that the only reason Scorpius didn't choose me was because he was afraid that in choosing me it would undercut his Captain authority. Stupid bleeding tosser!"

"Really?" Six asked, shocked

"He might have said some other stuff, but yeah. Really!"

"Well that is a stupid reason. But look on the bright side..."

"Which is?"

"More time for schoolwork?"

I gave her a patented eye roll and finished my drink. We sat there for a little while, me staring around the room, inwardly making fun of practically everyone. Usually I would scold myself for being such a bitch, but today I did not feel very charitable. I mean, look at all these losers! There was Hollace, who was dancing on Thaddius like he was a freaking stripper pole. Jocelyn was trying to do the same to one of Thad's mates, but just looked like a cat trying to crawl up a wall. Then there was Thaddius and his mates, all of whom reminded me of gorillas that I had watched on a TV special once when I was younger. I think I even saw one of them pick something out of the other's hair and eat it. I swear.

A couple of third years were turning each other's hair different colors in the corner, bursting out in peals of laughter at each new color change. I definitely don't remember ever being that lame. That time when Six and I changed each other's noses was totally different, that was completely funny.

I turned my sights to the corner that I had occupied so often lately, and gasped. Six, who had been watching Miles play chess, was completely oblivious. I elbowed her.

"What?" She asked turning towards me.

"Look," I pointed in the direction of the corner.

"Oh. My. Goodness."

"I know." My mouth was still hanging open in shock.

"I just never thought..." Six tilted her head to the side. I followed suit, as if looking at it from a new angle would make it any less real. It didn't.

"Never." I agreed.

"Pretty interesting development."

Grr... Could he not just leave me alone to sulk, or watch Tabby and Bertram snog like there was no tomorrow?

"How did that even happen?" Six asked while I remained tight lipped.

"Not exactly sure, but I think it might have something to do with the spiked Pumpkin Juice." Scorpius' calm tone grated on my last nerve.

"Wait- What? The pumpkin juice was spiked?" I turned to Scorpius, all new wrath coursing through me. "And you let me drink three cups of it?"

He just shrugged. "Figured you knew. I mean you saw Thaddius and his cronies chugging it. I thought maybe you wanted to take the edge off."

"Well, I didn't." I huffed and marched towards the girls dorms.

"You can't stay mad at me forever," Scorpius called out over the crowd. I continued up to my dorm. I was starting to feel a little woozy anyway. Better to sleep it off than act like one of those fools out there.

**A/N: I know it has been forever, and I apologize. The sproggy came a couple of weeks earlier than expected and I am still working on getting everything back to some semblance of normal. So thanks so much for anyone who is still sticking to this story. I will try not to let another huge gap like that occur again. So what did you think of this chapter? What do you think will be happening next, I love all guesses :) **


	8. The Hangover Experience

I landed on my bed in a heap. My legs felt like lead and my brain was all fuzzy. Stupid sodding Scorpius Malfoy! It was all his fault. Well, his and Seven's. Yes, I could most certainly blame this on Seven as well. If he hadn't have dumped me then I never would have been compelled to try out for the team, thus not being upset about not making said team, thus not trying to avoid Scorpius by downing three glasses of spiked pumpkin juice. Yep, I had decided. It was all Seven's fault.

Don't get me wrong. Scorpius was still an enormous git, but he wasn't the main problem. Nope, the main problem was nitwit Seven and his sucking face with Gloria. He really needs to be told that his actions are completely inappropriate. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I knew that this was exactly what the arsehole needed to hear. So with that very wonderful idea in mind, I snuck back down through the porthole and up towards the Gryffindor common room.

I never realized before, but seven flights of steps is not an easy feet. Merlin, what would someone do if they just forgot one book and had to go all the way back up? I imagine that's why a lot of the Gryffindor girls seem to have such killer legs. I mean, look at Roxy, Lily, Lucy and Molly. What I wouldn't do for a pair of legs that didn't look as if they had come from a bird and attached themselves to my torso. Maybe I should start doing some kind of stairicising... stairsicing... um... walking up a lot of stairs. Yeah, maybe I should do that kind of excercise.

God, am I there yet? Oh, yes, fat lady.

"Ahoy, big fat one." I waved my arm wide." I come seeking Seven."

"I am not fat, thank you very much. I am just a little fluffy." She huffed and stuck her nose up in the air.

"Sorry, I meant 'Ahoy big fluffy one'. Now can you bring me Seven?"

"Rude!" She practically wailed.

Hm... Don't know what got her knickers in a twist.

"Rose?" Gordie was coming up the hallway. Man did he get taller in just a few hours? I could have sworn he was shorter than me this morning.

"You're taller." I said as I rested my body against the cool stone walls. Things were getting fuzzy again.

His face broke out in an ear splitting grin. "I know... great isn't it?"

"Sure Gord, it's wonderful. Can you get Seven down here for me?"

He looked about the hall, as if checking for prying ears. Weird.

"What do you want to see him for?" Gordie asked.

"I just needed to tell him a few very important things. Think you can go and get him?"

"I don't think it's a good idea Rose. Maybe you should think on this a bit."

"What?"

"Well, you look a bit... frosty."

What in the blue blazes was this kid talking about? Frosty? My confusion must have been evident, or I said that out loud... I really can't be expected to remember those kinds of details right now.

"You know... lit."

"First I am frosty and then I am lit. Make up your bleedin' mind will ya?" I poked him squarely in the chest, but went to rest back against the wall. Man, poking can really take a lot out of a girl.

"Rose, I just meant that you seem a little inebriated at the moment. Might not be a good idea to talk to Seven in this state."

What was he talking about? Okay, so maybe I was a bit... fuzzy, but an inebriated, "Pshhh" came flying out of my mouth.

"Hey Gord... What's taking so long?" I looked to the side to see the portrait open and Seven standing there in all his adorable... no disgusting... glory. "Oh, it's you."

Ah, my second wind. "Damn right it's me!" I took to poking him instead, it felt much more productive. "You have some serious explaining to do."

"Rose, I thought we talked about this. It's over. Why must you drag it out any longer?"

He took a step back into the entry way.

"I don't think so Seven, not this time." I raised my wand and shouted 'Petrificus Totalis', though perhaps I mispronounced it because only his legs locked together. His arms still flailed about. He fell to the floor with a thud and an expletive that I had honestly never heard before, but was pretty sure mum would not approve.

"Well, I think I'll just..." Gordan stepped over Seven's legs. Seven made a last ditch effort to grab hold of the hem of Gordie's trousers, but Gordan was too quick. The portrait swung closed behind him, leaving me alone with a scowling, partially immobile Seven.

"Now you listen to me..." I approached Seven's prone form, making sure to steer a little over an arm's length away. "You are a git! You are a sodding piece of filth that doesn't deserve to wipe my arse, let alone kiss me. I can't believe after two years... two frickin' years... that you could just ditch me like that and then go off and snog someone else less than two weeks later. Who the hell does that? What kind of man are you?" I took a long breath then continued, "I don't know what the hell is going on with you, though I will find out Seven. You will not be able to keep your potion thing a secret forever, but I do know that I don't bleeding care. I don't mother effing care. Do you hear me?"

Hm... perhaps that was a bit too loud. No need to bring all of Gryffindor outside.

"Are you done now?" he asked, and though his voice was cold, his face was red hot. I could see the vein in his neck pulse as he worked himself into a sort of push up position and tried to pull his body closer to mine. It was a little scary if you must know. It reminded me of some of those B horror movies that Hugo would watch.

"Yes, I think so." I nodded once and turned around, though not very brilliantly. As the adrenaline wore off, the affects of the pumpkin juice returned full force. Then I started to walk away.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked. I turned my head to look at him.

"Nope, don't think so... oh wait. You're an arsehole, and I hope Gloria gives you an infection." Yep, that was it.

"C'mon, Rose. Unbind me." His voice became whiney.

"I don't think I will, thanks."

And with that parting shot, I turned the corner and left Seven alone in his misery... or more like discomfort, because really it was me who was miserable. One of his fellow Gryffindors would come around soon enough and help him out, or Gordie would come out to check if he didn't come back in a little while. Seven would be fine. He would live to snog Gloria another day.

I, however, felt sick. Really, really sick. And I knew that it wasn't just alcohol. Nope, I felt sick because while it felt nice in the moment to tell Seven off, it now made me feel awful. I was no less alone because of it. Now I was just some insane ex-girlfriend who wasn't able to get over the boy that she loved. Yep, that's me. I'm crazy Rose Weasley, stalker and hexer of all who dare to dump me.

******

"It's about time." Six said to me as I scrambled out of bed still wearing my outfit from the night before. I ran a hand through my hair to find it got stuck half way from all of the tangles.

"Not in the mood." I grumbled, though whether it came out decipherable I didn't know nor care.

I grabbed my robe and went into the bathroom, only taking a second to look at myself in the mirror before realizing that I didn't need to scare myself this early in the morning. I was able to gather that the lip color was smeared on the left side of my mouth and my eyes looked like I might have gotten a punch in the face a few times. All in all, not a great look for me. My head was throbbing, but it was nothing a hot shower wouldn't be able to cure. What in the devil happened to me last night? I had just soaped up my hair when the smell of pumpkin shampoo hit my nose.

"Oh! Oh! Oh, no! Oh, no, Oh no oh no! No bleeding fricking way! Shite! Shite! Shite! Shite! Shite!"

"Are you okay in there?" Six's voice cut through the steam.

I gulped, "Yeah, fine. Just, um... stepped on something." Shite!

I took my time in the shower, needing the extra minutes to figure out exactly how dumb I had been the night before. If my memory served correctly, which for the first time in my life I was hoping it didn't, I had been pretty damn stupid. Not that Seven didn't deserve all that I had said, but... well I am not that girl. What? I'm not. Other girls are those type of girls. Hollace is probably that girl, definitely Jocelyn, but not me. Not Rose Weasley.

Except that, apparently, I was that girl. I was the girl who never got over her ex and stalked him to his dorm, because even though it had only been two weeks, I could not see myself wanting to be with anyone else... ever. Which was the most depressing thing. I mean, what person thinks that they are going to live Happily Ever After with their boyfriend from when they were fourteen? Not Tabby, I am sure. And though I don't ever remember us talking about it, or consciously thinking 'hey, I'm going to marry this guy,' I know that I had never even considered us not together.

"What is taking so long?" The door to the bathroom swung open once more, sending a cool gust of air into the shower.

"I'm coming! Hold your knickers, Six."

I toweled off and slipped into my fluffy dressing gown.

"What is so important on a Sunday?" My slippered feet slapped against the cold stone floor as I made my way to my trunk and nice warm clothes.

"Nothing. I just thought it was about time to confront Tabby dear about her little snog session last night." Six winked as Tabby pulled the duvet tighter over her head. How had I forgotten about that?

"Tabby? Oh, Tabby? Come out, come out!" It was my turn for some fun so I pulled the duvet, causing Tabby to roll and tumble to the floor.

"What the f- I'm going to kill you Weasley!" Tabby scrambled from the floor, grabbing the duvet back from my grasp and wrapping it around her. I just laughed; other's people pain was so much more fun than my own.

"So..." Six began, "Tell us about you and Bertram." She had her rare wicked grin on, one that I had come to be very wary of.

"What about us? We snogged, end of story."

Six frowned, resembling a sad puppy that had just had his toy taken away." So are you two, y'know... together now?"

Tabby sloughed back onto the bed, still wrapped snugly in her covers. "Dunno, too tired to think about it. Now if you don't mind..." She pulled her curtains shut and I could hear the calm even breathing of sleep.

"Well, that was no fun," Six pouted.

"Definitely not." I, too, was sad; it would have been a much better distraction had she reacted... at all. Damn Tabs and her cool exterior.

"Wanna go for some breakfast?" Six asked as she pulled on a light jumper over her shirt.

"Nope. Not even a little." I said matter of factly.

"Rose, c'mon. It's not that bad not making the team is it? I mean you didn't even want it until a week ago."

Ah, poor innocent Six, so unsuspecting of all the terror that went on last night. Not wanting to ruin her lovely innocence, I decided to lie. What's a lie between good friends?

"Yes, it is that bad." Well, I guess it wasn't a complete lie. I still felt like shite about not making the team. Fuck Scorpius Malfoy.

"Fine." She left the room, leaving me alone with a sleeping Tabby and Hollace.

Hollace had one foot hanging off of the bed, her mouth was open and a wet spot of drool in the shape of a unicorn was on her pillow. Sodding bitch! Even her drool took on ethereal images.

I thought about doing something, like turning her hair blue, or drawing a uni-brow on her in _Permanent, Permanent Marker, _but that would be mean. So instead, I just gave her a dirty look and some side burns. What? Like anyone could have resisted.

****

I didn't want to stay in the Slytherin dorms all day because one, I had not gotten the Keeper position and was inevitably going to be mocked by many a Slytherin, and two, it would be boring. But the idea of going out into the main of Hogwarts also did not sound appealing either. I am sure the story of my harassment of Seven from the night before was all over the school now. With that and my 'tryst' with Scorpius, I was destined for whispering gossipmongers.

So what did I do? I went to the Quidditch Pitch and flew around. All the other houses had held their tryouts already; no practices were set to start until tomorrow. I was completely safe. It was just me and the wind and my broom. No one was there to snicker about my great failure, or my supposed 'tryst' with Scorpius, not to mention my psychotic ex-girlfriend episode of the night before. I wasn't sure which was worse. They all sounded pretty bad to me.

I could feel my fly-away hair as it whipped against my forehead. All thoughts of the last two weeks flew out of my head and I just reveled in the wind on my face and the sun on my back. I must have been flying for a little over half an hour when I shot straight up into the air, seeing how high I could go. When I leveled out, I saw a familiar curly blond head of hair skipping stones in the lake. Feeling a lot better since this morning, and hoping that last night's incident had yet to reach Slytherin ears, I decided to make my way down to Bertram.

"So, you and Tabby, huh?" I said as I alit from my broom beside him.

"No, why? Did she say something?" Red crept its way up Bertram's neck and face.

"Nope, she's been sleeping. So, if you two aren't together, then what was that last night?" I shot Bertram a sidelong glance as I bent over to pick up a good skipping stone.

He threw a stone, watching as it skipped its way across the water. "Don't know."

"Well, do you like her?"

His face, if possible, became even redder.

"You do! You like her!" I must admit that it was rather unexpected. I mean, they were polar opposites. She was an in your face, opinionated, sarcastic hater of all things non-Slytherin. Bertram was a quiet, studious, prefect with a Ravenclaw sister. What could they possibly have in common other than their house?

Bertram threw another stone. I threw mine and watched as it sunk gloriously into the lake, not even making one leap over the water.

"You gonna tell her?" I asked.

He threw another stone.

"Y'know, you're going to have to say something here."

"I don't know, okay? Now will you give it a rest?"

Wow, he really must like her! I don't think I have ever heard Bertram use such a strong tone unless he was scolding Al or James for calling him Bertie or Bert.

"Sure, whatever."

I remounted my broom and left him there to brood. I didn't figure that two sour people in one area was a good idea. I headed back to the pitch. Perhaps another hour of flying would be good before holing myself off in the dorms. However, when I got to the pitch it was no longer empty. Miles Flynn was there, in all his delicious glory, catching charmed Quaffles before they went into the hoops.

I started to turn back, figuring that half an hour of peaceful flying wasn't too bad, when I heard Miles call out, "Rose?"

I winced. I had been hoping that he wouldn't see me, or at least not recognized me if he did. I turned around and headed towards him.

"Hey, Miles. Practicing I see." I tried to make myself sound as cheerful as possible, though I think it might have come out more croak-like than I had intended.

"Barely. It's not really the same when you are the one charming the Quaffles."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I rolled my eyes and was pleased that I didn't sound so forced this time.

"Hey, d'you think you could throw some my way? Anything has to better than doing it myself." His self deprecating grimace was completely charming. Who was I to say 'no' to that?

"Sure." I grabbed the Quaffle from Miles and raced away. I was used to playing this role against my dad, so this would just be one more time when I was relegated to practice partner. I should be bitter towards Miles. After all, he got the spot that I had wanted, but for some reason I couldn't muster up the strength to be angry at the handsome lug. Besides, it was all Scorpius' fault anyway. If he had been any kind of real captain he would've had us do a shoot out or something.

I swished through the air, swerving left then right before heading to Miles straight on. Then at the last second I faked right, and shot for the center hoop. The Quaffle went right above his outstretched hands. I tried very hard to keep the gloat off my face, not quite sure that it was very successful. To my chagrin, he caught the next two shots, but I then I tossed another one by him. Hah! Take that! It was pretty therapeutic, throwing a Quaffle at a blokes head repeatedly, even if I didn't technically have anything against said bloke.

Before I knew it over an hour had passed.

"You should've tried for Chaser," Miles said as the last shot whirled passed him and into the left hoop. He was panting slightly and sweat beaded on his forehead. He ran a hand through his damp, dark hair, causing it to ruffle up in odd angles. He was a real dish, that was for sure. Quit staring, Rose! I averted my gaze, following instead an owl as it made its trek to the castle.

"We should probably call it a day." His hand ran through his hair once more, showering some sweat onto my shoulder. I agreed and we made our way back down. Sweat dripped off my own head and I wiped it away with my sleeve.

"So, why didn't you try for Chaser?" Miles asked when we were half way to the castle.

I shrugged. "I prefer to play Keeper. Don't really fancy playing Chaser."

"Too bad, you would have definitely made the team."

Not really the thing to make me feel better, even if that was the way that it was intended.

Conversation stifled at that point, probably due to my lack of talking.

"We should do this again sometime." Miles shot me a knee weakening smile, too bad I appeared to be immune to it.

"Yeah, sure. Well... I um... better go." I walked to the girl's dorm leaving Miles standing in the middle of the common room.

**A/N: Yes, I am a horrible person. But I am working on getting better about updating at my normal speed. ******

**So what did you think? Anyone ever have a nice stalking ex experience like our dear Rosie here? I know I have ;) What about Rose and Miles? Love to hear from you guys. The review box has been kinda sad and lonely lately (wink wink)******

**Thanks to the lovely Georgia Weasley for beta-ing this chapter for me. And thanks so much to all of you who are still out there reading this. Much appreciation.**


	9. Wake Up and Smell the Roses

The dorm room was empty by the time I had taken another shower and plopped into the worn crevice that I had created in my mattress. I snuggled up with my pillow and willed myself to sleep. It had been an exhausting day both mentally and physically; I deserved a well earned nap. Homework could wait until later.

I was in the middle of saving a Quaffle that had been shot at me by Seven, who then turned into Scorpius, when an annoying voice reached my ears.

"So do you think you're going to sleep with him?" came Hollace's high pitched voice, completely interrupting the bit in which I got to throw the Quaffle back at Scorpius' head.

"Do you think I should?" Jocelyn asked meekly.

"Of course you should. You don't want a guy like Jason to lose interest do you?"

"No, I guess not."

God, I just wanted to shake her.

"Don't do it just because this bint tells you to, Joss." I couldn't keep quiet anymore. It was one thing for Hollace to choose what Jocelyn wore, it was quite another to tell her to have sex with some bloke.

"Like you're one to talk," Hollace scoffed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am!" I turned to Jocelyn. "You shouldn't just go off and shag a guy in order to keep him. You should be in love. And especially don't do it because this-" I pointed to all that was the Ice Queen VanBitch-Face "-stupid bloody skank tells you to."

Jocelyn looked between Hollace and myself. Hollace was standing there, a look of pure loathing etched on her face, mirroring my own I was sure.

"I think I'm going to sleep with Jason," Jocelyn said indecisively. Hollace's smug look made me want to punch her, a lot.

"Fine, what do I care anyway." I stormed from the dorm, not wanting to spend another minute in the presence of such a cow and her calf.

I was so annoyed that I didn't even realize that I had entered the crowded Great Hall in time for dinner. By the time I did realize that I had made a public appearance it was too late to back out. I could do this.  
I sat down next to Six, effectively ignoring Scorpius and instead decided to speak to everyone else. Tabby was sitting by Bertram, but he seemed to be very focused on his food. While Tabby talked incessantly about what a shit Scorpius was for not putting me on as Keeper, Scorpius, for his part, kept quiet.

"Is it true?" Six whispered in my ear once Tabby got a really good rant going.

"Is what true?" I whispered back.

"Did you really go to the Gryffindor tower last night and hex Seven?"

I looked to the right and left, I doubted whether anyone would have been able to hear us over Tabby's colorful language, but I felt the need to check anyway. "Shh... yes. I don't want to talk about it."

I looked to the side and saw that Scorpius had stopped chewing, but when he saw that I was looking he started up again.

I managed to get down half of a meat pie, which was a lot for me lately. When the pudding came, though, I couldn't even look at the sweets.

"Well, I'm off, better get some studying done." Tabby stood from her seat and leaned over to give Bertram a proper kiss on the lips, something which obviously shocked him as much as it had done the rest of us. Tabby pulled away, ran her hand along Bertram's shoulders and then sauntered off, as if what she had done was the most natural of occurrences.

Bertram, for his part, was as beet red as he had been that afternoon when I had seen him by the lake. We all sat there, shock and awe etched on each of our faces. Scorpius gathered himself the most quickly and started in on his pudding. Everyone else followed suit – well, except for me. There would be no dessert for me. After a minute Bertram rose and left our table; not a peep had he muttered since Tabby's kiss.

When he was out of ear shot Gates broke the silence, "What in the bloody hell was that?"

It might have been the first time I had ever heard him speak. Gates was always the quiet one, I often forgot that he was even around. For a while in fourth year, I thought he was a mute. His comment could not be disputed, however, and we all muttered our own responses of 'no idea'.

****

When we all got back to the common room we saw Tabby and Bertram in the corner...studying behind a large book. Hm... I was certain that they would be off snogging somewhere. Oh, wait, thought too soon... not studying behind the book, going at it behind the book.

Is it mean that I think this relationship is completely weird and disgusting? Though, at this point I think any relationship sounds vile to me. I might not be the best judge right now.

So I guessed that I would not be studying out here, seeing as my spot was now occupied by two people intent on sucking face all night. I was avoiding Scorpius anyway, probably best that I finish up my homework in my room. Yep. That was definitely the best idea.

Six stayed in the common room with everyone else, leaving me to be alone in the dorm room. I would have peace and quiet and be able to get a lot of work done this way. Except that I didn't. I couldn't concentrate on anything I read, and when I was writing out the two feet on animal transfiguration I ended up writing Seven in the middle of the sentence. I was a mess. I finished what I could, though none of it was to my normal standards, and then I went to sleep.

The next month went by in a haze of sleep, classes that I couldn't get up the energy to pay attention in, and practices with Miles. The practices were actually the only times that I could really recall from the entire month. Six made an effort to try and include me in things, to talk to me, but I didn't want to be around Tabby and Bertram in all their snoggy glory nor did I want to be near Scorpius the traitor Captain. And I definitely didn't want to be anywhere near Seven and his fifth year wonder Gloria, which meant that I was limited on my Al and Gordie time.

I would eat at the Ravenclaw table every now and then, and even once ate at the Hufflepuff table with Lysander and Annie. Anne Wentworth and I grew up together, her mum and my dad were partners for a long time, she was one of those friends that you had known for so long, but weren't really sure why you were friends with them. She was sweet, don't get me wrong, but she could be... trying. Yes that was a good word for it. Lysander's presence was vital to any long term interaction that I would have with Annie (one person could only take so much), and he had such a calming presence. It was too bad that Lily had such a thing for Lorcan; I always thought that Lysander would help to balance out Lily's propensity to be a brat.

I think I first started to realize just how bad I had become when my school skirt just slid down my hips one day after just putting it on. I didn't really remember eating much, my appetite had waned a lot since the break up and throw up incident. I went over to the mirror and lifted my jumper. I could see the outline of my ribs. My collarbone was protruding out in a sickeningly thin way. There were black circles under my eyes and my hair was limp and waxy. I had turned into a skeleton, it made me sick.

Whatever this was, this depression that I was in, it was ending... today! Seven was most definitely not worth this. No bloke was. I just had to try harder this time. I couldn't let my happiness come from the idea of playing a game, or from a boy. I wasn't that girl! Or at least, I was no longer going to be that girl.

I magicked my skirt to a smaller size and went down to breakfast, ready to finally eat something more than an apple. Tabby was sitting on the other side of Scorpius, not next to Bertram... I wonder if that was something new or if I had been just that oblivious lately. When I piled my plate with eggs and bacon I could see the odd looks on everyone's faces. I think I even saw Scorpius smile, though I couldn't be sure as he was chewing on some bacon of his own.

I couldn't eat as much as I once could've, but I guess it would take a little time to get my stomach used to normal amounts of food. After the one egg and two pieces of bacon I felt full and I must admit, much better than I had in over a month. I had enough energy to actually pay attention in potions and was able to brew a perfect batch of Amortentia. Maybe it was the wonderful after affects of smelling such a potent potion, but I felt even more rejuvenated. The mixture of ink, the smell of a crisp fall day and a light hint of… well I didn't know, but I guess cleanliness could best describe it. I breathed it in over and over, letting waves of love wash over me.

It wasn't until I had gotten to lunch and happened to catch of a glimpse of Seven, that I realized that none of those scents reminded me of him. My spirits rose even higher. High enough that I was able to actively participate in a lunchtime debate on which was a better time of the month to pick wolfsbane.

"Nice to see you back," Scorpius said as he walked passed me to get to our afternoon class. I couldn't help it, I smiled. It was nice to be back. Now to find out what the hell was going on with Tabby and Bertram. I had been sitting in the back in Arithmancy lately, but today I sat right up front and a smiling Six sat next to me. Tabby was behind me, which was just as good for note passing.

_What's up with you and Bertram? _I wrote on a bit of parchment and dropped it behind me onto Tabby's desk. Only a few moments later she tossed back:

_Nothing._

Well what the hell did that mean? Did it mean that nothing was going on or that there was nothing wrong? I supposed I would have to wait until the end of class. The curiosity would make it difficult to concentrate, but I was determined to stay focused today.

When the bell tolled, I gathered my book and turned to ask Tabby what was going on, only to find that she had already run out of the room. What the hell was that about?

I ran to catch up with her. We were headed to the same place anyway. I followed her quickly moving, bobbing green and black head of hair through the corridors and out onto the grounds. It was still pretty early yet and no one else was standing outside of Greenhouse Three other than Tabs.

"What did you run away for?" I asked as I dropped my book bag with a loud thud onto the grass.

"I wasn't running away," she replied, but her eyes shifted upwards as she lied.

"What gives, Tabby?"

"You're one to ask. You have been walking around here like a zombie ever since you didn't get onto the Quidditch team. Anytime we tried to get you to hang out, you wouldn't. You have completely shut me, Scorpius and Bertram from your life, and have barely talked to Six at all. In fact, the only person I have seen you with is Miles Flynn... so Rose... What gives with you?" She was now staring at me fiercely. This witch certainly knew how to throw a guilt trip, not to mention avoid the topic completely.

"I, er... That's not the point, Tabby. You are avoiding the question." I crossed my scrawny arms and stood firm-ish. Probably not nearly as intimidating as Tabby over here. Damn!

"So are you," she shot back.

I saw people crossing over the lawn. Time was running out for this little tête-à-tête.

"I am working on getting better, okay? I am trying here. I am making an effort. I was a mess, I admit it. I was a freaking mess of hot doggie poo. Is that what you wanted to hear. Does that make it all better? Are you now willing to tell me what the bloody hell is going on with you and Bertram?" I kept my voice low so that none of the approaching students would hear my rant, though I noticed that Scorpius' eyes were fixed on the two of us. Stupid observant bastard could probably read lips.

"He dumped me. Okay. Bertram said that we were too different and he no longer wanted to snog my brains out. So he dumped me. _He_ dumped _Me_." Tabby was nearly hissing in my ear at this point, she definitely wouldn't've wanted this to get around.

"Bertram said he no longer wanted to snog you?" Okay, not the most tactful response, but really, what bloke doesn't want to snog a girls brains out? Especially one with as little girl experience as Bertram.

"No, what he actually said was 'All we ever do is snog, it's getting old. I think we would be better if we went back to being friends'." She put on a high squeaky girl's voice when imitating Bertram. Didn't sound anything like him, but entertaining just the same.

"I'm sorry Tabs." I went to give her a hug but she stepped back.

"I'm fine. No need to get all emotional on me." Her eyes did that shifty thing again.

"Okay, but if, y'know, you need anyone, I do know what you're going through," I offered.

"Yeah, 'cause you handled it so well," she said under her breath.

I really don't know why I am friends with this girl.

"Thanks Tabby. Really you are quite wonderful." I walked past her into the now open greenhouse.

"Nice to have you back though Rose." She lifted one side of her lips in a half smile.

"Yeah, well it's good to be back."

I decided to stop avoiding Scorpius and sat by him that night at dinner. If he was surprised at all, he didn't show it. It really irked me that I never really knew what he was thinking, but I liked how he always remained calm. I was hoping that maybe some of that would rub off on me.

I ate a plate of spaghetti: carbs would definitely help me to put that weight back on. I think my skirt felt tighter already (though that was probably just wishful thinking). It was a good thing that my mum couldn't see me in my skeletal state, she would have probably taken me to some Muggle psychiatric hospital to have me examined for anorexia.

Scorpius and I ate in relative silence. There was a 'pass the salt' moment, but all in all pretty quiet from his end. I started to wonder if he were perhaps now mad at me. I mean, I had effectively disregarded him once he had not given me the spot on the team.

"So how're practices going?" I asked him. That was a good way to start, right? Showing that I was no longer pissed about not being on the team.

"They're going well. Miles has gotten even better. I hear that you have been practicing with him." He continued to eat, but I could feel his eyes on me. I hope he didn't feel like I was trying to butt in on his team now because of it. Like maybe my practices with Miles had somehow undercut his authority. I know that was something that would irritate him, the idea that he was no longer a respected Captain or something.

"Yes. I hope that's okay? I did a fair bit of Chasing at home against my dad..." I looked expectantly at him, hoping to confirm that he was not in fact angry at me for helping to train his Keeper on the side.

"It's fine." Merlin. I couldn't tell if that was an 'I'm really okay with it' fine or an 'I think you are a bitch and would like you to stop interfering' fine.

"If you're sure."

He must have picked up on my insecurity because he turned from his food and looked my straight in the eye. "Yes Rose, I'm sure. I think it's great that you are keeping up with your skills. I hear you're a pretty good Chaser as well."

I could feel my face redden. "I'm fair."

"Not the way Miles tells it." Scorpius had turned back to his food, which made me feel more comfortable. His honest and intense stare scared me a little.

I blushed further. Damn these Weasley genes.

"Yes, well he's just being nice." I dug my fork into my pasta with gusto.

Scorpius' eyes shifted so that he was looking at me form the corners. I slowed down on my eating, no need to make him sick. Or myself sick, for that matter.

"So nice to see you two talking again," Six said from in front of me.

Neither one of us made a response... I mean what exactly do you say to a comment like that, 'Yes it is nice, thank you very much'?

"So... what's been going on with you?" I asked Six in order to avoid any further embarrassment.

She gave me a wan smile. "Oh, you know. Same. Al and Seven have been fighting quite a bit lately."

I raised a curious brow. "Really? What about?"

"You, mostly. Al thinks that Seven has been a right git, and Seven thinks it's none of Al's business. They're both right I guess, so it makes it hard for anything to get resolved."

I only was able to mumble out an 'mm'. I was quite sure that I wanted to stay away from any more Seven drama.

"And Gordie has been off with that girl Spring Thyme lately, so I haven't really seen him." Her eyes became glassy at the mention of Gordie.

"Oh, Six. I'm sorry. He's an idiot if he doesn't realize..."

She shook her head to stop me, "No, it's alright." When I didn't look convinced she added, "Really."

I dropped it, no reason to make her cry at the dinner table. I did sneak a peek over to the Gryffindor table and saw Al and Seven separated by a boy that I had never seen before who had his arm draped around a girl with short, brown hair. Wasn't that that girl Spring? That would mean that the bloke was... God was I only out of it for a month? Gordie was huge... well for Gordie anyway. So, he'd finally hit puberty then. Interesting.

"I hear that Boot is going to be giving us a pop quiz this week," Scorpius said.

I gave him a grateful smile and we ate the rest of dinner as we berated the Transfiguration professor and then moved onto Healer Wharton, who apparently had told Six that she didn't need anything for the gash that she got on her arm from a bowtruckle that had attacked her. Said that 'it would build character'.

Then we got a little sidetracked talking about how dishy Headmaster Hotness was. Scorpius didn't seem too enthused with this conversation. "He's an old man. Honestly." He then rolled his eyes.

But when we moved onto actual classmates he clammed up completely.

"So what about Miles?" Six asked.

I shrugged. "What about him?"

"Well he's gorgey, and you two have been spending a lot of time together," she pointed out.

"Only once a week. He is rather yummy though. I just wasn't ready for, y'know, anything more than that... with anyone."

"And now?" Six asked.

Scorpius started sipping on his pumpkin juice as if his life depended on it.

I shrugged again, "Who knows? Maybe." I smiled widely, it was an odd feeling. Like working out an old muscle that you had been neglecting.

The now empty glass was slammed on the table rather hard. Six and I looked over to Scorpius.

"Sorry. Really thirsty," he said to our questioning gazes.

**A/N: So what did you think? Are Tabby and Bertram really over? What about whats going on with Rose and Miles? Let's not forget about Scorpius and his thirst for juice... All comments are appreciated.**  
**On another note, my beta Georgia Weasley has had to take some time off, But good news is that Weasley Twin Mom is willing to take her place. So thank you so much WTM for your awesome beta skills. They really help (and she can tell you how much... I swear if it were up to me this whole story would have only comma's) ******

**Also thanks so much for reading and special thanks to those who review. It is very much appreciated. I will continue to try and not take so long between updates, but I am finding it hard. I had a baby shower weekend and now Sex and the City weekend coming up... but I will do better (maybe once maternity leave starts).**


	10. A Kiss, An Intervention and A Surprise

"That was an incredible save." I shouted over the wind and rain that had been falling ever since last night.

Miles grinned. "Yeah, well that was quite a throw as well." Rain dripped down his face, his hair was matted down and he kept having to brush it away from his sharp, blue eyes.

I had my hair tied back, but loose strands were sticking to the sides of my face and neck and the rain was obscuring my vision slightly, causing me to rub it away from my eyes every so often.

"You wanna call it a day? I think it's getting worse."

"Yeah!" I shouted over the din.

When we got down to the ground Miles let me into the locker room where he tossed me a towel from his locker and took another one for himself.

"I hope we don't have to play in anything like that for the Gryffindor Match in a couple of weeks." He brushed the towel in his hair, his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Yeah, especially since Roxy plays even better in the rain. She just might be a freak of Quidditch nature."

"She killed us last year when Flint was Keeper."

"Well... I don't know if I should tell you this, but..." I grinned as Miles looked at me eagerly, ready for the little nugget of information that I was going to let drop, "she tends to shoot for the right hoop seventy percent of the time."

"Thanks, I will definitely keep that in mind." He pulled his soaking shirt off and dug around in his locker. I tried to avert my gaze, but really... with such eye candy in front of me it was pretty hard to resist. I was pretty much staring by the time he emerged from his locker with a dry sweatshirt in hand. When he caught me I pretended to find my soaking trainers much more interesting than they were. It might be time for new shoes; the seam was ripping along the outside edge of my left foot.

"You're shivering."

No, I-I'mm f-f-finnnne."

He chuckled, "Yeah." I looked up to see his eyes dancing with mirth. "I think I have a spare shirt in there." My teeth started to chatter, it was loud enough to be utterly embarrassing.

"Here." He passed a large long sleeve shirt my way and then turned around to give me some privacy. I too turned my back and with every ounce of skill I had I managed to get the wet shirt off and the new one on all with the towel still around me. I then wrapped my hair up in the towel to keep my head warm. My bottoms were still wet and we hadn't gotten into effective warming or drying charms yet.

"Thanks." I turned back around once I was done. Miles turned to face me. I continued to shiver.

He made towards me and started rubbing his hands up and down on my arms. Merlin, I really did need new shoes.

He leaned down and whispered into my ear. "Better?" His breath was warm and sent a new wave of goose bumps along my neck and spine.

I could only nod.

How could I have not started the new year with a new pair of trainers?

He picked my chin up with his pointer finger so I was now looking at his cool blue eyes. He leaned down, our lips a hair's breadth apart.

"There you two are."

Miles and I jolted apart. I looked around to the door to see Scorpius standing there, no expression on his face.

"It was getting pretty bad out there, didn't want my Keeper to catch pneumonia and not be able to play in the opening game."

My face was flushed and when I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Miles, he too was sporting a slightly reddened complexion.

Scorpius eyed me up and down and then smirked as his eyes reached my chest. I looked down to see that my wet bra had leaked through the shirt that Miles had given me, leaving two circular wet spots where my breasts were. I crossed my arms, effectively covering the wet spots.

"You look cold, Rose. You should get inside and put on some dry clothes." Scorpius' face was straight once more, but I could tell that he was still smirking on the inside.

"C'mon Rose, let's get you back to the castle." Miles shot Scorpius a look that I couldn't quite interpret as he put his hand on my back and directed me back out into the storm.

He cast an umbrella charm over the two of us which helped to prevent me getting anymore soaked. I looked back to see the water bouncing off of Scorpius' own umbrella charm as he trudged along after us.

"So there's a Hogmeade trip next Saturday..." Miles began.

"Not for you there isn't," Scorpius' voice called from behind us.

Miles' face went red, he and I both turned to look at Scorpius.

"You have practice," he said in a matter of fact voice.

"On Hogsmeade weekend?" Miles said in disbelief.

"The pitch is open and we have a big game in two weeks." Scorpius shrugged as he passed us by.

"That sucks," I said consolingly.

"Yeah it does," he replied.

"Maybe you'll get out early and still get to go for a bit." I might have overdone the hopeful note in my voice.

"Doubt it."

"Well if you want me to pick you up anything..."

He smiled at me. "Thanks."

We had just made it through the common room and were standing once again by the stairs to the girls' dorms.

"Well I'll see ya," I said as I started up the stairs.

Miles grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, he leaned in and placed a not so chaste kiss on my lips before smiling and walking up to the boys' dorms. This time it was me standing there looking bemused as he walked away.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the kiss. It was nice, even if his lips were a bit chapped. Perhaps I just was so used to kissing Seven for the past couple of years that I just needed a bit more practice. I decided that I should just avoid it for a little while, so the rest of the day I made a very serious effort not to think about the kiss with Miles.

I sat with Dom and Adrianna for dinner, thinking it best to 1) avoid the tension between Tabby and Bertram that had continued to build, and 2) avoid having to think on if I should sit near Miles or not. I was wonderful at avoiding, perhaps if my dumping diet program didn't take off I could teach classes on how to avoid one's issues. I think Tabby would be a great co-professor.

"Wow, look at that, an entire plate of food."

Dom's mocking tone was worthy of a pointed 'Shut the hell up'.

"You're looking a lot better," Ade said with a smile and a bite of broccoli.

"There's something about vegetables that just gives me the creeps." Dom commented when looking at Ade's plate half full of the flowery green vegetable. She took a large bit of steak and plopped it onto her plate.

Ignoring Dom's hunger for cow, I said, "Thanks, I'm feeling a lot better. Even gained four pounds this week."

"Must be nice," Ade said, "wanting to gain instead of lose weight."

"What are you talking about? You don't need to lose weight," I added with frustration.

"No, but I don't need to go off and gain some either." She then pulled her shirt up a little to pinch an almost non-existent roll of fat between her fingers.

Dom took a piece of broccoli from Ade's plate and lobbed it at her. "Shut up or I'll hex you."

"So have you talked to James at all lately?" I asked Ade. I was pretty sure that she had been doing a very good job at avoiding James this past month, but I couldn't be positive. A lot of things slipped by me without my notice.

"No, not much. He tried to corner me in DADA the other day, but I managed to sneak away when Professor Vance asked him about a paper he had handed in." Ade didn't look as pleased as you would think someone who was trying not to be around someone would look.

"That's it? I would've thought he would be near stalking you at this point."

"Well, like I said, I am not completely avoiding him, just pruning it back a little. I'll say hi, talk to him for a minute or two, but then find a reason to escape. Honestly I'm not sure he's even noticed. Which is for the best, makes it all easier." Her dejection at that idea was written plainly across her face.

Dom and I shared a look that said 'she is delusional'. She was fooling herself into thinking that cutting James out would ever actually work. That boy was the most persistent person that I had ever met and was no doubt figuring out some sort of plan to get them to be good friends again.

Dom spent the rest of the meal telling us how she was going to manage to get in three separate dates for the Hogsmeade weekend coming up, one of whom did not even go to Hogwarts and was to meet her there at noon. It was nice to focus on someone else's drama for the night though. I didn't think of my kiss with Miles more than three times. I admit that I might have peeked over to see him at the Slytherin table – he was sitting with the same guy he'd been playing chess with after the try-out. There were a few girls sitting nearby, but he didn't appear to be talking to any of them.

I made myself stop looking at him and instead directed my gaze over to see how Tabby and Bertram were faring with one less buffer between them. When my eyes reached our regular part of the table, I saw Scorpius already looking my way. I raised an eyebrow and nodded my head in the direction of Tabby and Bertram, hoping that my question would get across to him. He slowly shook his head left and then right, obviously things were not going very well.

Maybe tonight I would be able to get through to Tabby and find out how she really felt. Obviously she was upset about it all, otherwise she wouldn't have been so adamant that she was 'just fine'.

I recruited Six to my 'get Tabby to talk' mission and we absconded with her up the stairs and into our dorm room. I had already taken note that Hollace and Jocelyn were busy being bints in the common room and given that they were with Thaddius and I was guessing that Jason kid, I didn't figure that they would come up for a while.

Tabby pulled away from me once we got into the room. I guess she didn't like my forceful ways. I snatched her wand from her robe pocket and snuck it into my own.

"What in the name of all things Slytherin do you want?" Her dark eyes sparkled with a fiery anger. Normally that would have intimidated me, but I was back to being Rose Weasley again, and reminded myself that my father was an Auror, my mother a brain at the Ministry, and I was a wonderful mixture of the two that could not be intimidated by mere evil stares.

So, in an effort to get through to Tabby, Six and I had a plan... Good Auror/Bad Auror. I got to be the bad one... something which I was actually looking forward to ever since Tabby had been so bitchy to me about my break-up (even though she really was just trying to help - which is all that I am trying to do too... sort of).

"Stop your whinging and sit down."

Tabby crossed her arms over her chest and continued to give me that fiery glare.

"I said... SIT DOWN!" I waved my wand and one of the desk chairs pulled up from behind Tabs and placed itself - or rather shoved itself - into her legs, causing her knees to buckle and her to wind up in a seated position. She didn't respond, probably because the wind had been knocked out of her at her hard landing, or maybe because she was now going to respect us.

"You better have a damn good reason for this, Weasley!" she hissed.

Okay, so maybe there would be no respect.

"We do, Tabby. I'm sorry Rose is being so harsh, it's just that we care about you..." Six looked over to me and gave me a scolding glance. She was sure a really good Good Auror. "We hate seeing you hurting."

"Pfff, I'm not hurting. Now will you let me leave?" She tried to get up from the chair but found that while Six was talking I had bound her legs effectively to the chair. I then placed her wand far out of her reach on the nightstand. Just my little way of letting her know that she couldn't do anything about it.

"Like hell you're fine. You have been moody and irritable all day. You've been sulking around, not talking to Bertram at all, and frankly a real pain in my arse." Bad Auror to the rescue.

"That's how I always am."

Shite, she had a point.

"That's not true. Yes, you can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, but you have never been sulky. A bitch," Six nodded her head but said, "no, not a bitch, maybe just persnickety. This isn't you. Last year when you and Drew broke it off you were never like this."

Tabby scowled. "Well maybe that's because I was the one to end it."

Fair point.

"Still, it's not like you to be like this over a guy." Six could definitely go in on this line of work. That or a teacher for five year olds.

"I am not like anything!" Tabby sure could be stubborn.

I looked away from Tabby's dirty looks and over to Six. "I'm sick of this shite. I'll just use Legilimency on her." I raised my wand arm.

"You can't do that. It's against school rules." Her eyes started to look around nervously. I was really glad this was working, because I couldn't use Legilimency for shite.

"Please Tabby, this coming from the girl who spent an entire week sleeping in the boys' dormitories. Don't think I was completely out of it." The last bit was a lie, but Six had filled me in earlier today on that juicy bit.

"You are being ridiculo... Rose... c'mon... you wouldn't."

I guess she really did think that I was going to do it, never knew that raising my wand could be so powerful.

"I would."

"Fine. Fine. Just put that thing away."

I tucked it into my pocket and raised an eyebrow at her expectantly.

"It's okay, you can tell us, Tabby," Six added, sensing Tabby's reluctance even now.

"I'm pissed okay. I'm furious in fact. How dare he dump me? He was lucky to be in my presence let alone... well y'know."

I shot Six a worried glance. One that said 'you don't think they...'

"We didn't do that!" Tabby answered our unasked question. "I just meant the snogging... and stuff."

Well that was enough of that, the kid was like my brother... or rather a cousin... a distant cousin.

"So you're mad because you got dumped, not because you are no longer with Bertram?" I asked. I couldn't really understand what that was like, my break-up had broken my heart not my pride (as evidenced by drunken corridor hexing/screaming).

"Of course I'm mad because I got dumped."

"I think what Rose means Tabby, is that you don't care that much that it was Bertram who dumped you." Six, ever the good Auror.

"Wha- of course I care," she spluttered, realizing now what it is that she had been saying.

"Do you, Tabby?" I wasn't convinced.

She didn't respond for a little bit, then slowly she shook her head 'no'.

"It was supposed to be just for fun. The boy was always so uptight and nervous around girls. I thought it might, y'know, loosen him up a bit. He wasn't supposed to dump me though. I was doing him a favor."

"I take it back. You are a bitch."

Wow, hadn't expected Good Auror to go Bad. I wasn't going to argue though. At this point in time I really forgot why I was friends with Tabby at all. Why would anyone want to hurt poor Bertram? Sure, he could get a little annoying, but he was completely harmless.

Tabby almost looked hurt, but she set her jaw in defense. "Look. I didn't mean it like that. I liked Bertram, I wouldn't have dated him if I hadn't. I just... I just didn't expect that it would be him that would end it."

"You're still a bitch," Six said, but there was a little less bite in her voice.

"Fine. I'm a bitch. I get it. Now will you two let me out of this goddamned chair?" She struggled against the bindings on her legs and the chair jumped about slightly.

I let the ties loose and Tabby bolted out, collecting her wand from the nightstand where I had placed it after confiscating it.

"I can't believe her," Six said as she paced around the room. "She took advantage of poor Bertram."

"I don't know if I would call that taking advantage. Sure, she was a bitch to think that she was doing him a favor, but I am pretty sure that he didn't mind it... Y'know... until he did." I snickered a little at my own joke. It was definitely Karma kicking in and knocking Tabby down a peg. Just because she was my friend didn't mean that she didn't deserve it.

"How can you defend her?" Six was still fuming.

"I'm not, I just meant..."

"You're getting to be just like her," Six shouted at me. Man, she had really picked up this Bad Auror thing well, though why she was now using it on me was a new mystery.

"What the hell, Six, what's your problem?" I don't know if I have ever seen her this annoyed/pissed.

"My problem? My problem is that you and Tabby are two peas in a pod. Neither one of you giving a damn about anyone else but yourselves. I am so sick of this." She threw her hands up and stormed out of the room, leaving me in a bewildered daze.

What the hell had that been all about?

I stayed in the room, bewildered. Was I really as selfish as that? I knew that I had been a bit wrapped up in my own depression lately, but wasn't that allowed when you broke up with the love of your life? You would think your best friend could give you some leeway. I decided I would have to talk to Six about it. So I left the dorm and looked over to our corner in the common room, thinking that maybe she had gone over there. She was there all right. Attached to Bertram's face.

Was she for real? What in the hell was this? She loved Gordie. She was just doing this out of spite. Now who was being the selfish bitch?

**A/N: So first I would like to say I'm sorry. I know it has been a little while since my last update. ****So tell me what you thought? How about our girl Six... what is she playing at? What about the kiss with Miles, anyone hate me for that? I love to hear what you think. **

**Thanks to my wonderful Beta WeasleyTwinMom - you rock sista! And thanks to any of you who are still with me after my hiatus. Much love.**


	11. Hogsmeade Trip ShakeUp

I couldn't help but forgive Tabby as soon as I had seen Six and Bertram. The look on the girl's face would have forced her worst enemy to feel some sort of pity. To say that Tabby was pissed would have been an understatement. There had always been underlying tension in the dorm – we lived with the Ice Queen, after all – but now it was unbearable.

Six wouldn't come in until really late, but no matter what time it was, it always seemed to be the perfect time for a row with Tabby. If Tabby wasn't there,  
I would get the brunt of Six's frustrations. I tried to hold my tongue, to not shoot back when she would go off on how horrible I apparently was for taking Tabby's side in this, but sometimes I would let it slip, letting Six know exactly what I felt about her little 'relationship'.

Bertram started strutting around thinking he was the King of the Castle. Two good looking girls fighting over him, I'm sure the teenage boy 'I am a stud' chromosome was in full activation. Even Scorpius seemed to be annoyed by the whole thing. He would barely talk to me, and wouldn't talk to Six or Tabby at all. It did make it a lot easier for me to hang out with Miles, though, which was pretty fun. We played a couple of games of chess, which I lost gracefully. My dad would be so ashamed. Miles helped me out with my Transfiguration homework, and I found that it wasn't so bad... sort of.

He was so upbeat, all the time. It kind of tired me out, but he was sweet and there was no drama involved. The kissing got better, too. It still wasn't the same as kissing Seven, but maybe it was unfair to compare the two. I mean Seven and I had years of practice to get it right, Miles and I had only kissed a total of four times.

The last time he kissed me it was just before Transfiguration. He walked me to the class and quizzed me on some stuff that we had gone over the night before. Seven was walking into the room just as Miles leaned in. It was very gratifying to see the look of vexation on Seven's face all through class. **Take that Seven! **I was able to ignore the pointed looks from Scorpius and Tabby whenever my glances went in that direction. But, maybe I did look a little too often. Okay. Resolution... I will only look at  
Seven three times a day, and I will reserve them for meal times only. I need no more distractions from school.

Hogsmeade weekend came upon us and Tabby and I ended up just stopping by Honeydukes and grabbing a couple of things before heading back to the castle. And just as Miles had predicted, Scorpius had not let them out of practice early enough to make it to town. Which was probably for the best, seeing as how Tabby and I ran into Six and Bertram being disgusting in front of Gladrags.

I don't know why Tabby pretended not to care, it was written all over her face. I think she was mostly upset that Six would do that, no matter what Tabby had felt about Bertram, both of us knew that Six had done it out of spite (and more than likely to make Gordan just as jealous as he had been making her). Gordie had gone to Hogsmeade with Spring, but he came back with a totally different girl that I honestly had never even noticed before. It actually made me a little sick. What in the hell was wrong with all of my friends? I felt like we were caught in one of those daytime dramas that Victoire swears she doesn't listen to on WWW (though Dom and I have caught her on plenty of occasions).

At least Al was still being his normal self. Tabby and I met him on our way back, he was whistling some funeral dirge, but had managed to put a cheerful spin on it.

"What's got you in such a cheerful mood?" I asked as we trekked the path back to the castle.

"Can't a guy just whistle?" He continued his little song, adding extra twitters in every so often.

"A guy can, you can't."

"Haha Rose," Al said dryly.

"Did you finally get a girl to look at you without laughing?" I wished just once that Tabby could not be such a bitch, okay maybe more than once.

"Knickers in a twist today I see." Al cocked an eyebrow at her, completely unfazed by her obnoxious comment. "It wouldn't be because your beau has gone and run off with our little Sixer is it?"

Ouch.

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." If she had been five I would have expected a tongue to stick out. Oh wait, never mind, she's five.

"Oh no. You've wounded me." Al feigned a chest wound, gripping at his shirt while staggering back a few paces behind us. "What shall I ever do."

"Enough of this, you two are acting like children."

Then as if they shared one mind I heard both "He started it/She started it" at the same time.

"I don't care who started it, you are both acting like you're four years old."

Then they both stuck their tongues out at me. Seriously? Was this who I chose to hang out with?

"I give up. Have at it. I am sick of listening to anymore fighting." I threw my hands up in submission and continued walking on at a faster pace.

Tabby and Al both rushed to catch up to me.

"Really Rose, I'm sorry. I will try to be better around... your relatives." The last part was practically forced out, I could only imagine what she had wanted to say.

"Yeah, me too. I promise not to bait your shrew of a friend."

Tabby and I both shot him icy stares.

"What? It's hard going cold turkey, it'll take some real practice."

I rolled my eyes at him, but Tabby continued to glare.

"Great Circe, I'm sorry, all right?"

I didn't blame him; her stare downs could be quite intimidating.

"So, why were you so cheerful?" I asked once Tabby stopped giving the look of death to Al.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Just saw Seven and Gloria fighting is all."

I stopped walking. It took Al a few steps to realize that I was no longer beside him. Tabby, however, was much quicker on the uptake.

"So what were they fighting about?" Tabby asked for me, once Al had turned around to see us lagging behind. I remember now why I liked this girl.

He shrugged, "Who knows? Probably because she's a bitch and he's a dick."

"That's true enough." Tabby muttered.

"Hark, doth mine ears deceive me, or did the Slytherin just agree with this little ole Gryffindor?" Mock shock etched Al's features.

"Don't let it go to your head," she said, smirking.

I nudged her in the ribs with my elbow, they were getting horribly off topic and I really wanted to hear more about this fight business.

"Oomph, er... did you hear any of it?" Tabby asked as she rubbed at her side.

"Perhaps," Al looked all around before continuing. Then, as if he were a thirteen year old girl, he went on, "So I was minding my business in Dervish and Banges, just doing a bit of recon work for Uncle George, when in come Seven and Glory."

"Wait? Glory?" Tabby interrupted.

"Yeah, that's what he calls her. Now don't interrupt." Al really was a gossip whore. "As I was saying, so Seven and Glory walk in, and they're all holding hands and being sick together, when Gordie walks by with that new girl... whatserface... Diana or Dina, or Didi... or well anyway... So Gordie walks by ith D and Gloria gets all pissy because 'wasn't he supposed to be there with her friend Spring?' Seven idn't seem to care enough for her, so she let him have it. Then he gets mad because she is yelling at him for something that Gordie did and he says..." Al paused, took a large breath and then stared right at me, "'Rose wouldn't have given a shit.' He mumbled it kinda low and I don't think he meant for her to hear him, but she most certainly did..."

Al went on talking, but I wasn't able to focus on one word. Seven had compared me to his girlfriend, and it was in a favorable way. Shocked could barely cover what I was now feeling. Elated was more like. Also mostly confused. I mean after all, it was he who had dumped me. It was also he who had been an enormous arse this entire year. I felt like I was missing something, but above that I felt my heart constrict and a familiar ache course through my body.

"Rose? Hey? You okay?" Tabby was snapping her fingers in front of my face and Al looked on guiltily.

"Yeah." I squinted my eyes and loosened my clenched hands, not exactly sure when they had become so tight, "Yeah, I'm fine." I gave them both a mega smile that showed my teeth, probably more scary than reassuring.

"I shouldn'ta said anything," Al muttered.

"No, I'm sure she'll be okay, probably just shocked is all."

Were my ears deceiving me or were these two being nice to one another?

"I am right here, guys, and I can hear you."

Tabby gave me a stern look. "Y'know Rose, this doesn't mean you should go running after the git again?"

"She's right. Seven has been a prat all year, better off letting it go, he's not worth it."

"I think I must not be as okay as I thought. Are you two seriously agreeing with each other?" I looked between the two of them only to see my words to have the opposite reaction than I had hoped.

Tabby scowled at Al. "Just like a Gryffindor to try and catch me off guard."

"Oh yeah. And what about the way you pried that information out of me?" Al shot back.

"Pried, I barely had to tap you to get that story. You were begging to tell us, practically squealing to get it out."

I continued my walk, leaving Tabby and Al behind me to fight it out. I was too dazed to bother with those two. Really what I wanted was to see Seven, see if there was any change in him. See if maybe he would talk to me about what the hell was going on with him, but Tabby was right. I had come too far to let him in again, and I didn't think I could take another month of zombie Rose.

****

I was going over my Charms essay in the corner of the common room when Miles walked in, broom in hand and a scowl on his face. I pretended I didn't notice his arrival. I wasn't really keen on seeing him at the moment... too much Seven on my mind. It was a dumb plan; of course Miles would see me sitting here and obviously would come over.

So I plastered on a sweet smile and didn't shy completely away from his light peck on the lips. We made small talk, I asked him how practice was, 'exhausting' was his reply. He asked how Hogsmeade was, 'boring' was my own response. I handed him the pack of fudge that he had requested and then went back to re-reading my essay.

"What're you working on?"

I didn't look up, "Charms."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No, I think I got it." I forced a small smile to assure him that I wasn't being rude, even though I definitely was.

"Well, I'm off to shower, maybe I'll see you later?"

I pretended that there wasn't any hope in his tone, it made it much easier for me to say, "Yeah, maybe," without feeling too badly about it.

I had forgotten our conversation as soon as he had left and easily delved back into my charms essay.

"Gave him the brush off, huh?"

I jumped; I hadn't realized that there was anyone else around. "Scorpius, you scared the shite out of me."

He chuckled and plonked down on his regular chair.

"Anyway, I wasn't giving him the brush off," I defended myself.

"Well if that wasn't a brush off then was it?" He smirked.

"I'm just busy."

"If you say so." He leaned back in the chair, resting his head against the back, and closed his eyes.

I looked at him then. Honestly looked at him. I don't recall ever really taking the time to do so. But I became curious. Who was this bloke who seemed to be able to read me so well? I mean, we have had maybe a couple of weeks worth of conversations. How was it that he could presume so many things about me and be right?

His hair was covered in sweat and dirt, but it was distinctly blonde, almost white. His patrician nose centered his square cut face, with a small amount of blonde stubble along his jaw and chin. He was quite handsome. I wondered why I had never really noticed before. Probably because he was blonde. Then I started to wonder why other girls didn't notice? I mean I don't recall him ever having much of a fan club, not like Miles or Jasper did. He could definitely be categorized in their... well, in their category.

"Like what you see?" His voice broke through my reverie.

"What?" I asked in as innocent tone I could muster.

"Don't pretend like you weren't staring, it's okay, I can't really blame you."

Ah, and now I know why. Because he was a pompous git. Though, Thad still had plenty of admirers and he was much worse. Hm... I guess I would have to contemplate that later. Scorpius was staring at me oddly. Oh yeah, probably should respond.

"Don't be a git." There, that would show him.

His chuckle was deep and low.

"There you are." Tabby came and sat down on the remaining empty chair. "Why'd you run off?"

I just rolled my eyes and added another line to my Charms essay.

"Well you missed a good show," Tabby continued.

I looked up from my essay and I noticed Scorpius straightened a bit in his chair as well. He could feign non interest all he wanted, I know that that boy cares about gossip much more than he lets on.

"Yeah?" I scratched my nose with the end of my quill, a pretty counterproductive move on my part as the feathers tickled and worsened the itch.

"Yeah, Six saw Gordie with that new girl, she completely went mental. Even with Bertram right there, holding her hand." A self satisfied smirk crept across her face. "She pretty much called Gordie a man-whore and then started to cry. It was terrific."

"How'd Bertram like that?" I asked.

"Not much at all, the sour look on his face was priceless." She was practically gloating now.

"Could you sound any happier?" Scorpius asked with a frown.

"He deserves it." Tabby crossed her arms and sat back in the chair, her gloating smile subsiding a little at Scorpius' admonishment.

"Why, because he didn't fancy you anymore?"

It was a valid enough question. Perhaps Scorpius had put it rather harshly, but it was valid.

"Oh, go take a shower. You look like shite!" Tabby said defensively.

"Rose doesn't think so," Scorpius grinned.

Tabby just shot me a questioning look, to which I responded by once again rolling my eyes. I pulled my essay up and covered my burning red face, hopefully before either of them noticed. You would think I had done more than just observe him by the way he was talking. I mean that was all I was doing. I had just never really looked at him before, that's all. That knowledge didn't stop my cheeks from burning, so I kept the parchment covering my face for much longer than necessary.

When I felt it was safe to bring it back down again I saw Scorpius getting up while Tabby gave me an odd look.

"Going to clean yourself after all then?" I asked, and my voice did not crack but once.

He gave me an odd look and then nodded and left. Weird.

Tabby started to question me as soon as Scorpius was out of ear shot. I don't know why she had it in her head that there was something going on between us. She knew that those rumors were false. She also knew that I was dating Miles. Miles, who I had blown off. I had told Tabby that it was nothing, that I had no clue what she was talking about, but she just looked at me doubtfully and thankfully didn't pry any further. Though that was perhaps due to the fight that was now going on in the common room.

Six and Bertram had walked in arguing. Well Six was arguing, Bertram was just red in the face and walking towards the boys dorms while ignoring everything.

"Stop walking away from me. Merlin, Bertram, I told you I don't fancy him." Six followed after him and when Tabby snorted Six shot her the dirtiest look possible.

"What's so funny?" Six shot at Tabby.

"Nothing, just enjoying the show." Tabby chuckled out.

"You are such a bitch! First you go out with Bertram because you think you're doing him a favor, and now you laugh at him." Six's voice rose and now there were even more stares then before.

Bertram looked to Tabby with a hurt expression on his face, much more upset by Six's comment about Tabby then he evidently was about Six's feelings for someone else.

"One, I did not date him because I thought I was doing him a favor and two," Tabby stood up and pointed her wand at Six's chest, "I was laughing at you. You, who only started dating him to spite me, you who only wanted to use him to get to your precious little Gryffindor. So don't go sticking your pretty nose down at me Six Deciles, because you'll find that that the air smells just as bad."

With that last jibe Tabby left the common room. Many whistles and 'wahoo's' followed in her wake.

Six just opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. She didn't even seem to notice when Bertram had left and gone to his dorm, leaving her standing alone in the common room.

She came and sat down where Tabby had been only moments before.

"I am such a bitch." Six put her head in her hands, her fingers clasping through her fringe and nails digging at her scalp.

"No argument from me."

She shot me a 'don't you start on me too' look, to which I just shrugged.

"Sorry, but you have been a right pain in the arse ever since Gordie started going off with girls."

"I know. I know. I don't know what's wrong with me." She twisted her fingers through her skirt.

"You're heartbroken. People do stupid stuff when they're heartbroken." Now that Six was admitting to being such a cow I felt it was time to throw her a bone. I mean best friends are there through thick and thin right?

"Yeah, like get drunk and hex your ex boyfriend while yelling profanities at him." She giggled.

I take it back, best friends are there to maim.

"Just kidding."

I guess my, 'I'm going to hex you so badly that your brother will feel it' look gave my irritation away. It didn't sound like a bad idea either. Two birds, one stone. 

**A/N: So I was faster with updating this time! YAY! Thanks so much to my wonderfic beta WeasleyTwinMom. **

**So what did you think? Any favorite parts? Any predictions? Anyone else enjoy the Scorpius look over? I know I did.**


	12. Happy Trails

Tensions were still high between Tabby and Six, even Hollace VanBitch-face noticed.

"What crawled up their arses?" Was her lovely observation after a particularly tension filled argument.

I didn't deign to answer and since Tabby and Six had both left in separate huffs, it was up to Jocelyn to entertain Hollace's inane comment. Not that that wasn't a role that she wasn't eager and willing to play.

I left the room as well, but only because the idea of being alone with those two was something of a nightmare. It was Halloween and the whole castle was in a frenzy of excitement and activity. I took a tiny peek at the Pumpkins that Hagrid had been growing for this year; they were beyond huge. One of them was as large as Shell Cottage.

I thought about sitting with Ravenclaw tonight, not wanting to deal with any more of the drama that was abounding in our small Slytherin clique. It would definitely make my life a whole lot easier, but then I would feel bad, leaving Tabby and Six alone with only Scorpius and Gates as buffers (though the latter hardly counted as he rarely ever spoke).

Bertram, for the past couple of days had chosen my normal form of escape by sitting with his sister and Dom. I couldn't say I blamed him, his presence would probably only have exacerbated the problem at this point anyway. Neither Tabby nor Six were willing to give an inch. Tabby insisting that Six had been a spiteful bitch (which she had) and Six determined to prove that Tabby's original motives had been just as devious.

I don't know why they each still insisted on sitting in the same area, but neither one seemed to want to give any ground to the other. It was a horrible impasse. So tonight's feast I guess would be as excruciating as the last couple of days have been. Miles had braved the war sight with me on the first night post Six and Bertram's break-up, but he didn't dare do it again. I wasn't sure if I minded or not; I guess not enough to get mad about the abandonment.

He was so sweet though, even when Scorpius was continually shooting sarcastic remarks to him about his fan club, or when a glob of mashed potatoes landed on his cheek shot by Tabby and meant for Six. Miles just grinned and bore it. Though he told me after that he would not be eating with me again until 'those two crazies' had become sane.

I thought about sitting with him, but decided against it; this would sort itself out soon enough and then he could come back. I didn't really like the view from his end of the table, it was... stifling?

Classes seemed to go by at a snail's pace, especially the double History of Magic that closed out my Tuesday afternoons. But by the time the bell tolled I wished that it had been a little bit longer. It meant that the night of horrors would be upon me sooner than I would like. And just like that, it was time for the feast.

When I reached the table I was shocked to see Bertram sitting there as if he had never taken a sabbatical from his two ex girlfriends, although I don't really think that a term of a week counted for Six and Bertram's relationship to be considered boyfriend/girlfriend. I sat by Scorpius and across from Tabby, Six was on the other side of me and Bertram was sitting beside Gates, which put him in the middle. I could tell that he was uncomfortable in such a prime and center spot, his eyes darted between Six and Tabby, as if he was just waiting for one of them to explode and would be ready to duck – an idea that didn't sound terrible to me at all.

"So Bertram? How was it sitting with all those egg heads?"

I held my breath as I waited to see if Tabby's remark would be the spark for the impending explosion.

Bertram looked up from his plate, which apparently had been extremely interesting until that point.

"Horrible," he groaned. "There is only so much sister time I can stand." His lips twitched and he almost smiled, but didn't.

"I think the Ravenclaws are nice," Six said defensively.

Bertram grew red, but said nothing, and Scorpius kept looking around the table as if the food would show up at any moment. I just waited for the other shoe to drop.

"You would," Tabby said with a scowl.

"Yeah well-"

"Shut up!" It was Gates. Quiet little Gates. He was standing now, looking down on Tabby and Six as if they were children. "You two are ridiculous. Six, you went after Bertram right after Tabby here was ditched by him and not because you liked him but because you wanted to prove a point to some prat Gryffindor."

Tabby smiled widely, gloating over Gates' admonishment.

"And you..." Gates looked down on Tabby's two toned head, "you don't want to be with Bertram anymore than she does," he pointed at Six, "so stop fighting as if the guy matters to either of you and get over it."

He sat back down and slipped into his usual silent repose.

"Thanks." Sarcasm oozed off the one syllable word, but it was pain that I saw in Bertram's eyes.

"You can stop too." It was Scorpius who spoke up this time. "You don't really care about either of them like that either and only dated them so that you could strut about with someone on your arm."

"That's no-"

"It is so and you know it."

Wow, Scorpius was pissed. Interesting. I don't think I have ever seen him this upset before. A vein was sticking out on his neck and was clearly visible underneath that pale skin of his. I couldn't stop staring at it. Its greenish hue and pulsing rhythm entranced me.

Everyone at the table remained quiet, each absorbed in our own thoughts, and though the beginning of feast speech was performed I doubted that any of us could repeat what was said, which was saying something as usually Six and I hung on every word that Headmaster Hotness would say.

We ate the food and silence reigned. It got to be more oppressive than the outright fighting that had been going on. I couldn't stand it.

"Did you hear that they were coming out with a new edition of _Hogwarts: A History_?" Okay, so it wasn't the most interesting topic, but my mum had just owled me about it that morning and it was the only thing that I could think of. Sue me.

"That's... er... not interesting at all actually," was Tabby's lovely response.

Six giggled and Bertram snorted. Gates outright laughed and Scorpius stayed silent, but grinned. But the tension seemed to have seeped away slowly and conversations around the table began. Tabby and Bertram even continued one of their more lively debates about which professors they thought were sleeping together.

"I actually find that very interesting," Scorpius whispered into my ear a little while later when everyone else was occupied with either listening to or participating in the great Professor debate.

I turned to look at him and was met with eyes the color of which I had never seen before. It was an odd mixture of green and blue and was so beautiful that I could hardly believe that these eyes were on a bloke. How had I not noticed this at the least? I was so busy staring that it took me a minute to realize that I should probably respond.

I abruptly turned away from those aqua colored eyes and said, "Yeah? I... er... it's a good book." What was wrong with me? Why could I not speak like a normal person. I must still be flustered by everyone laughing at my original input. Yeah, that was definitely it. Even Gates laughed. I mean, it wasn't that funny.

I caught little snippets of everyone else's conversation...

"No. Blakely would never go for Boots, he's too prissy for her."

"Blakely?"

"Madam Chambers, whatever. My point is that Professor Boots is a pansy boy and she would want a real man."

"I suppose you mean someone like yourself?"

I completely tuned out after that, not caring who Madam Chambers was seeing or not seeing. Scorpius was sitting next to me in silence, he also did not seem to be too focused on the discussion.

"So big game this weekend..." I couldn't stand the awkwardness that had just appeared between us.

He snapped to attention, I guess I wasn't the only one who was inside my own head.

"Wha-? Oh, yeah, big game. Gonna be a hard one, but there's no question that we will win. That Roxy might be able to fly, but our new Beater should take care of her early on... I mean, um... not that she will be aiming specifically for your cousin."

A flustered Scorpius was fun.

"I hear that Miles is doing really well. He was pretty terrific when we were practicing over the weekend."

"He's okay." Scorpius looked down at his food.

What? Miles was better than okay, he was great. And he bloody well better be since Scorpius had chosen him over me to play Keeper. I stared as Scorpius as if he had grown a second head.

Scorpius looked back up at me, probably feeling the irritation of my gaze upon him. "What?"

"Okay?"

"Sorry, he's bloody fantastic, didn't mean to insult your boyfriend or anything." He rolled his eyes at me. His annoying sarcasm made me want to scream, but what was worse was him calling Miles my boyfriend.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said in a defensive tone. The whole idea sent a sharp stabbing pain into my heart. I didn't want Miles for my boyfriend, I didn't want anyone to fill that role. I had had a boyfriend and look at where that got me. No, Miles was just a friend who I kissed sometimes and enjoyed his company. That's all. No boyfriend here.

"Oh, I thought..." Scorpius shrugged, "I guess I misunderstood the situation."

"Yeah, I guess you did," I huffed. Perhaps I was being a bit ridiculous. Actually I was pretty certain that that was exactly what I was being, but still, I just wasn't ready for anything close to another relationship. Especially since I was still pining after the old one. Ever since hearing about Seven and Gloria's fight I couldn't help but look over in his direction every so often. They would still sit together at meal times, and maybe it was just my own desire for it to be true, but I thought that I could sense some tension between those two. It was the way that his arm would no longer drape about her, and the way that she would stare off at the Ravenclaw table for long moments at a time.

Tonight I watched as he turned from 'Glo-ry' and spoke with Gordan for most of the meal.

Scorpius saw where my gaze drifted and he scowled.

"Don't start that again Rose, guy's a tosser."

Stupid observant prat, had to nose himself in where he didn't belong.

"He is not, he's just been going through some stuff," I defended, though I am not sure why.

"Like what? Do you even know?"

"I don't have to know what. I can tell that it is something bad. I know him. Now mind your business." Okay, so I was a bit snappy, but that's what he gets for putting in his two knuts. I didn't speak to Scorpius for the remainder of the meal. Or maybe he stopped speaking to me, who cares? Either way, there was no communication between us, just how I liked it. Actually that's not true, but at the moment it most definitely was. At this particular moment I did not want to speak to one Scorpius Malfoy ever again.

Even though I had just insisted that Miles was not my boyfriend, I felt that it was necessary to prove to Scorpius that I wasn't interested in Seven any longer. So I spent the remainder of the evening with Miles instead of my friends. There was some hand holding and a little bit of kissing, but I guess I just wasn't feeling like a good long snog session, so I put off most of those advances by distracting Miles with some random question or another.

I watched my friends in the corner. It was almost amazing how quickly things went back to normal. Tabby and Six were sitting there as if there had never been a quarrel, let alone an outright bitch fest. Bertram also appeared pretty comfortable amongst his two exes. Actually it kind of creeped me out. Gates stood against the back wall, and if I wasn't completely mistaken, he even looked to be talking. Oh wait, never mind, that was a yawn. No... he was talking.

I was practically desperate to know what he was saying. The boy didn't talk much, but when he did... Merlin did it have an impact. I mean look at what happened tonight. He single-handedly changed the entire group dynamic back to normalcy. I couldn't see what Scorpius was doing as his back was faced to us, but what did I care? I wasn't talking to him anyway.

"So how about it Rose?"

Crap, Miles had been talking and I wasn't even listening. Was I a crap girl that was a friend who kissed sometimes or what?

"Um... yeah, sure sounds good."

Miles beamed. It was a nice look on him. Especially those dimples that came out with his broad smile. And his teeth, they were so straight and white. It was almost creepy. I wonder what I had just agreed to, but how to go about finding out?

"So you're sure... you know, about the question you just asked?" Smooth-ish.

"Of course I'm sure, I just asked didn't I?" Miles' smile faltered a little.

"Yes, I just, y'know was double checking." Crap, crap, crapity crap.

"Well, the answer is yes. I am sure that I want you to be my girlfriend." He planted a peck on my lips, but seeing as how I was now stone still, it wasn't going to be developing into anything more.

I was now his girlfriend? When the in the fuck (pardon my French) did that happen? Oh, yeah, when I was off in lala land wishing that I were hanging out with my friends, well, except Scorpius. What did I do now? I definitely did not want to be anyone's girlfriend, but I also really did like Miles. He was so nice, and cute and sweet. How could I tell him that I didn't really think I fancied him much that way? He _was_ really good looking. Maybe I just haven't given him the proper chance.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so terrible, being in a 'relationship' with Miles, I would be the envy of half of the population at Hogwarts.

Okay, I could be his girlfriend, and if it doesn't work out, then well... then I will find a way to get him to dump me. How hard could it be? Seven was completely capable of it without a backwards glance.

Yep. I was now the girlfriend of one Miles Flynn. Miles Flynn was my boyfriend. I was going with Miles Flynn.

"You okay?"

Perhaps a grimace was not the proper facial expression for the moment. I plastered on a smile. "Yeah, sorry..." Think, Rose! Think, goddamnit! "I was just thinking, um... about the game this weekend."

"Oh." He looked confused.

"Yeah, well you know a lot of my family will be playing against us, so I was just thinking of them being hurt... I heard Scorpius has sicced that new Beater on Roxy." Good save Rose.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, that Weasley is pretty good on a broom. I'm sure she will fare just fine. Though I think she will be right pissed when we end up winning." He rubbed his hand on my arm in a soothing gesture.

Is it a bad sign when you don't want your boyfriend to touch you? Okay, that was harsh, I just think at this point I didn't want to be touched, period. I was probably just tired, I can get like that when I am tired. Yeah, that must be it. Probably should head off to bed. I mean it was already going on nine o'clock, definitely bed time.

I gave Miles another plastic smile and then told him of my early evening plans. He looked put out, but being the sweetheart that he was, didn't object. He walked me the whole twenty feet to the girls' stairs and kissed me lightly on the lips. I made a serious attempt at kissing back. I noticed that when we pulled away, my attempt was very much appreciated. See, I could totally be his girlfriend. There was nothing to it. And that kiss was just fine. Very fine. The finest.

When I got to my dorm room I squirreled myself into the duvet and my lovely little niche and cried. I wasn't upset about being Miles' girlfriend. Nope, I was upset for Roxy. She could seriously get hurt out there this weekend. I was crying for Roxy. Poor, innocent, Roxy. She wouldn't know what hit her, or rather, it would be a Bludger so she would know, but well... whatever.

My eyes were crusted over when I woke up at... I cast a small glow with my wand and took a look at my watch, it was one a.m. That's what I get for trying to go to bed early. A nice after midnight wake up. This time I decided I would not be headed towards the kitchen. It was too dangerous.

I crept downstairs in my slippers and dressing gown, maybe a nice sit by the fire would send me back to tiredland. The common room was deserted and the fire in the grate was only a glowing pile of embers. I went over to get the flames flashing again when I noticed that the common room wasn't as deserted as I had thought.

There, lying on his back on the large sofa in front of the hearth, was Scorpius Malfoy. A book rested lightly on his chest and one of his arms dangled down towards the floor while the other was pulled up behind his blonde head. The stretch of his arm had pulled his white shirt up just enough for me to see the light shimmer of blonde hair leading a trail down the front of his belly towards... his flannels.

I stood there watching as the rise and fall of his chest would bring his shirt up higher, and then lower once more. There was something very soothing about watching someone sleep. I could feel my heart beat slow to the rhythm of his breathing. I was so focused on his chest that I didn't notice when eyes opened, but they did, because when I happened to look up I saw those aqua pools staring back at me, a small smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey." His voice was coarse and low.

I could feel the heat rising up my neck. I pulled my hair from the messy pony that it had been in, hoping that my mass of curls would hide my apparent embarrassment.

"Hi."

"What time is it?" Scorpius yawned out. He pulled his legs up and stretched both of his arms above his head, pulling his shirt up higher than it had been while he was sleeping. I was able to keep my eyes focused on his face though... okay I peeked a little bit, but who wouldn't? It definitely wasn't a disappointing sight.

"A little after one." I forced my eyes back to his face, thankful to see that his eyes were closed once more. Maybe he didn't notice my little peak.

"What're you doing up?" He sat upright, leaving the end of the couch available.

"Couldn't get back to sleep." I sat down on the end that was now Scorpius free.

"I saw that you went up early. Did your boy- I mean friend bore you to death?" He was definitely smirking now.

"No, he was being lovely."

"Ah, lovely, the most wonderful of compliments coming from the woman that you like."

I punched his foot.

"Ow," He rubbed at the spot where I had hit him, rather hard if I do say so myself. "What's got your knickers in a twist."

"Nothing. Just don't like you insulting my fr-boyfriend." There I said it. The word felt heavy and awkward when it came out, but it was done. I had said it and now it would be smooth sailing from here. The first time is always the hardest, right?

His face screwed up in a questioning glance. "But I thought you said-"

"I know what I said, but that was before."

"Before...?" He arched both eyebrows up.

"Before Miles asked me and I accidentally said yes." Whoops. Hadn't meant to say the accidentally part.

"You _accidentally_ said yes?" The frustrating smirk that had been playing on his lips before I had said the word 'boyfriend' came back full force.

I groaned, leaned over and put my head in my hands. "Yes, okay. I accidentally said yes. I wasn't paying attention."

"And you didn't feel the need to correct this error?"

I lifted my head and with a determined expression said, "No! It'll be good. Miles is sweet. He'll make a great boyfriend. Better than any other guys that I've seen lately."

This did not appear to appease Scorpius. You would think he'd be happy for me, finding a nice bloke and all. Especially given his reaction to the idea of me getting back with Seven from earlier in the evening. Alas, this was not the case. _Sigh_. I could not please everyone. Guess I will just focus on myself, and Miles. Yep, pleasing Miles. It'll be great.

Scorpius did not respond though, other than by giving me a look that said 'you are full of shite, Rose Weasley'. It was a very distinctive look. One cocked eyebrow, a twinge at the right side of his lip, and the disbelief in his creepily beautiful eyes.

"So, you and Miles then, huh?" Was that a note of dejection? Nah, probably just still tired.

I nodded.

"I hope he makes you happy. I better get to bed." Scorpius rose from the sofa and stretched once more, his flannels hung low on his hips and his shirt lifted again. I couldn't help myself, I looked again.

"Night." Though I had no intentions of going to sleep. Not going to be possible now, not with my head full of being Miles' girlfriend. A shot of male stomach crept its annoying way into my visions as well.

**A/N: For those that have also read RY did you notice the name of one of the professors? That's right. Blakely :) she is the Quidditch Coach/Broom Riding spcialist or whatever Madam Hooch was. For the back story on that feel free to ask me on the Authors Page which has been very sad and lonely as of late. **

**Anyway, so this chapter is fun... Who doesn't like to Ogle some good ole Scorpius goodies? And what do you think about our girl dating Miles now? What about the Halloween fight/make-up scene. All feedback is appreciated. Especially since my review box is also getting lonely. **

**Thanks so much to you readers and reviewers and especially thanks to my Beta WeasleyTwinMom who makes this legible. :)**


	13. When Chasers Go Rogue

I was decked out in all my Slytherin paraphernalia, which is to say I wore a green and silver striped scarf. I guess I just wasn't a big 'house pride' kind of person. I was sitting in the Quidditch stands with Tabby and Six, who had been almost annoyingly friendly to one another since Halloween. Bertram was sitting behind us with Gates. Hollace and Jocelyn were with Thaddius and that Jason guy over to our left, though they were much more focused on sucking one another's faces off over actually watching the game.

The Slytherin-Gryffindor match had been going on for well over two hours now. It was bloody, brutal and downright scary to watch. Maybe more so for me, because I flinched every time a family member got hit as well as whenever something bad happened to one of the Slytherin team members. Although I wasn't that upset when the short chaser girl, who I now learned was named Cassandra Wilbert, got bludgeoned with one of the Bludgers shot at her by Lucy.

The girl managed to play on, even with what I knew would be a huge welt to her shoulder. I guess I could give her some credit. She did score thirteen out of the twenty-seven goals that Slytherin currently had. Almost half. She still seemed like a right bitch to me, though.

Miles was keeping up fairly well, given that Roxy was throwing everything she had at him. He had blocked a lot more than Gryffindor had scored. The scores were so close though - two hundred ninety to Gryffindor - that the game was certainly not close to being over. Both of the Seekers, Scorpius and some fourth year Gryffindor who was a new addition this year, were searching around for the Golden Snitch. Neither of them had spotted it once during the entire match.

I was starting to get bored and instead of paying attention to the game, or even Lysander's colorful commentary, I drifted off, and with my omnioculars stared lazily about the stands, watching as different houses rooted for the team that they wanted to win. Ade was wearing a Slytherin green hat, while Dom was sporting a golden scarf. I spotted Seven, sitting in the back of the Gryffindor stands, sans Gloria. 

I immediately averted my gaze. What did it matter if he was there with Gloria or not? I had Miles. My wonderfully sweet boyfriend, Miles. I couldn't help myself, I looked over to Seven once more. He wasn't even watching the game. He was staring off at a group of Ravenclaws. I turned my head and saw Gloria sitting with Lorcan, Hugo and two girls that I had seen, but never spoken to before.

When I turned back to see Seven, my heart stopped, he was staring right at me. I turned my head away, pretending I hadn't noticed the eye connection, but then I looked again, and there he was still watching me through the lenses of his own omnioculars. We both stared on. I felt like I was in a trance. One in which I knew I should desperately want to get out of, but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

A loud and echoing sound of '_oh'_s, '_holy shit'_s and boos broke through my dazed mind and I turned to see that Roxy was falling from her broom onto the pitch below. I shot up out of my seat, ready to run, but was relieved when I saw Madam Chambers lift her wand and slow down Roxy's decent to the ground. Taking only a second to see that Roxy was in fact okay, I turned my omnioculars on the Slytherin players, hoping to get some sort of indication as to what in the world had happened.

I only saw Scorpius rushing towards two of the Chasers, a glower on his face and rage like I had never seen from him poured off in waves.

He started shouting, and though I couldn't hear it, I was able to catch a few choice words, which all indicated that someone had done something against Scorpius' direct orders.

Minutes into his rant, Madam Chambers flew up towards them, and I watched as both Chasers were directed off of the field.

"And it looks like both Fredricks and Nott have been removed from the game. If Slytherin wants to come close to winning, its Seeker is going to have to catch that Snitch and fast."

Healer Wharton was down on the field tending to Roxy, lifting her up and floating her forward off of the pitch, and the game resumed.

I could see Scorpius frantically searching for the snitch now, and the game became even more brutal than before. Gryffindor up one Chaser and now, three goals. I couldn't bear to watch anymore, not that I had been paying that much attention anyway, so I left the stands and decided it would be much more productive of me to go and see how Roxy was doing.

The hospital wing was empty except for Roxy's prone form lying atop the bed. Healer Wharton was standing over her and chanting, his wand moving in odd jerky movements. Not wanting to interrupt anything in case it would only make Roxy worse, I stood back and watched as nothing seemed to be happening.

After a couple of minutes I became pretty bored and must have started to tap my foot against the cool tile flooring. I guess that was an annoying sound, because Healer Wharton turned on me and shouted, "What do you think you're doing?"

I jolted out of my inward thoughts and looked at Healer Wharton for a moment, trying to understand exactly why he had just shouted at me.

"I am here to see my cousin," I said firmly.

"Me too." Came a harried and breathless voice. I turned to see Dom standing in the doorway. Fred, Hugo, Lily and Louis not far behind her.

"Your cousin will be fine." Wharton said testily, "but she needs some rest. So it'd be best if you kids run along now and go see the end of that match."

"It's over." I turned to see Al rushing in as well, James, Lucy, Molly and the other members of the Quidditch team trailing behind them.

"Yeah. And we want to see how our cousin is doing," James added in defiance.

"Merlin. How many cousins does this young lady have?" Wharton said to himself.

"Ten, and a brother as well. Now let us see her." Dom always lacked the patience that dealing with people like Wharton could sometimes take.

Wharton smiled at Dom though, her Veela blood probably even more prominent when she was angry, and he allowed her to move forward. When I attempted to do the same he blocked my path.

"Only one of you at a time." He crossed his arms and stood firmly between me and my unconscious family member.

It made me want to scream, or hit things, such as Healer Wharton, in the bloody face. But I was a good girl and I held my irritation in check. Lucy however, was not such a good girl and twirling her wand between her fingers said, "I wouldn't mess with us Weasleys and Potters sir. You never know what kind of trouble you could get yourself into. I would hate to have to tell my uncle Harry how the school Healer wouldn't let us see our dear cousin while she was in obvious need of us." She smiled the entire time, no hint of the underlying threat that she had just made to him.

But a threat it most certainly was. It was amazing what Uncle Harry was capable of in other people's eyes. To us he was just Uncle Harry, but for some reason (probably due to him saving the world and all) everyone else revered him and no one wanted to get on his bad side. Head Aurors could be scary at the best of times, but when the Head Auror is also the one who defeated Voldemort, well, he was downright frightening. At least that was the reaction that we got, and this time was no different.

Healer Wharton stepped to the side and watched as all of us Weasley/Potters and the other Gryffindor team members filed towards Roxy's bed.

Her body was limp and her face looked wan and lifeless. It was really creepy.

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked.

"Yeah?" came a chorus of voices that echoed around the room reverberating off of every surface.

Healer Wharton stepped a safe distance forward and said, "She was hit by two jinxes, they don't go well together so instead of doing as the hexers had intended, they have put this young woman into a somewhat vegetative state. She will be fine once I am able to get a proper counter curse. The tricky part is figuring out which curses were flung her way."

"I can tell you that." All heads turned towards the doors to see Scorpius standing there, still in his Quidditch robes, dirt and sweat combined on his face and painted awkward streaks down his cheeks, nose and forehead. He came striding into the room, and I could see the residual anger still on his face. "It was a Body-Bind and a Conjunctivitis Curse."

Scorpius stepped into a space near to me and asked in my ear, "How is she?"

I wasn't sure if I should answer. I mean, wasn't he the one who said that he would be siccing the Beaters on Roxy? Didn't he want her out of the game as much as anyone else on our team?

He must have seen the doubt on my face because he then forced me to face him and looked into my eyes. "I didn't have anything to do with this Rose, I swear it." The green/blue stare was earnest and deep, and I knew that he meant it. Scorpius hadn't ordered this. He wouldn't.

"She's," I gestured to her prone figure, "not so hot right now, but now that Healer Wharton knows what's going on, maybe she'll be okay soon." The Healer had already started working on Roxy, starting at her feet and working his way up, mumbling some incantation under his breath as he focused on the body before him. "Thanks for that." I smiled and I could see the outline of green in his eyes brighten.

He pulled my hand and dragged me aside so that we were no longer in front of my entire family, though I could see them all watching us anyway.

"I kicked Nott and Fredricks off the team."

"Okay..." I wasn't really sure what he wanted me to say to this. Was this why he pulled me away? He could have told me that in front of everyone easily enough.

"I'm two Chasers short."

"Yeah..."

"Well, Cassie's friend, the tall one from try-outs, can play, but that leaves me one more slot to fill..."

I nodded. What was he telling me for?

He shook his head in exasperation at me. "Merlin, Rose, I'm asking if you want to be the other Chaser."

"Oh. Oh!" Okay so maybe I was a little bit slow at the moment. But you have to admit, I have a lot on my mind right now.

"So..."

"So, um... Can I think about it for a bit?"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a Chaser, it wasn't really the position I enjoyed playing. It would be nice to be on the team though. But now that things were not going so well with Gloria and Seven, maybe there was a chance... No, stop that. You are with Miles!

Scorpius started to nod his head yes, but I interrupted him, "Okay, I'll do it."

"You will?"

"Yeah, why not?" I smiled and I watched as his face lit up in a broad grin as well.

He picked me up into a tight hug and swung me around. I could see all the shocked looks on my family members' faces. Hell, I was sure that my own mirrored theirs.

He let me down and looked around, the grin on his face sliding off slowly. "Well, that's great. See you later." And with that Scorpius left the hospital wing and me alone to deal with all of my relatives perplexed and questioning looks.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Leave it up to James for his ice breaking abilities.

I turned and looked at him, all my relatives standing around Roxy, who was also awake and staring at me, bore the same expression of bewilderment.

"What was what?" I shrugged in a nonchalant manner that was anything but.

"What was that... thing that just happened between you and Malfoy?" Dom asked, her eyes darting back and forth between me and the door, as if Scorpius would magically reappear (which being as this was a school of magic, was completely possible, if not probable) and explain to her why he was hugging her favorite cousin (because I was most certainly her favorite) in such an intimate manner.

"I don't know what you mean." But my blasted face betrayed me and the heat rushed up my neck and burned in my cheeks.

"Like hell you don't." James cut back in.

"Look, I don't know what you guys think just happened, but it was just a hug. Friends can hug. Especially in gratitude for a favor." A totally rational explanation. Friends could definitely hug. I hugged my friends all the time. It was perfectly normal, or at least it would have been had it been someone else that was doing the hugging. Scorpius just never struck me as the affectionate type. Maybe the rush of gratitude he felt for me agreeing to play Chaser was just so overwhelming that he put all his previous notions aside and acted instead of thought, like he was so wont to do on every other occasion.

"What sort of favor?" Hugo crossed his arms and looked menacingly at the door that Scorpius had left. Seriously, what did they think was going to happen with the damn door?

"Ew... Hugo!" I admonished him. "Nothing like that. I just said that I would play Chaser for the rest of the year since he kicked Fredricks and Nott off the team after the game. Honestly!"

"Really? That's it?" Lily asked, her face screwed up in a near scowl. "Seems like a little much for just agreeing to play Chaser. You sure that's all he asked you?"

"Yes, for Circe's sake, that's all he bleeding well asked me. Now can we drop it? Roxy, how are you feeling?" I asked as I neared the bed and ignored the rest of the family's stares.

"Better. What the hell happened?"

Healer Wharton stepped up and told her all that had occurred medically and then James took the Healers place and filled Roxy in on the rest of the match.

I listened, seeing as I was now on the team, I should probably know who won the first game of the season.

"Don't worry Roxy, we won. They didn't stand a chance against us."

Well, crap. That sucks.

We hung around for a while, all talking about random things. It wasn't often that we all got together, so busy were we with our own lives and different houses. The other Gryffindor teammates were so overpowered by our family chatter that they left as soon as they had spoken to Roxy for a moment and saw that she would be making a full recovery. Then they trudged off, leaving our clan with full reign of the hospital wing.

It took Wharton three hours to gather up the nerve to even approach us with the suggestion of leaving, but after another hour of manipulation on our part and begging on his Healer Wharton finally managed to shoo all of us Weasley/Potters out of the hospital wing, leaving Roxy alone to 'recover'.

While we were leaving, Dom snuck in beside me and whispered, "I know something's going on with you and Malfoy. You can try to deny it all you want, but I know I'm right." She then sauntered off ahead of me, towards the Ravenclaw tower.

I paused in the hallway thinking on what Dom had just said, but then I shook my head. It was the most ridiculous thing ever. Scorpius Malfoy wasn't the least bit interested in me that way, and I, well, I was dating Miles Flynn. _The_ Miles Flynn. I continued walking and went back to the dungeons to mourn the loss with the rest of my house - though if I saw Nott or Fredricks, they were both going to get a hexing of a lifetime.

Just as I had suspected, the common room was as somber as a funeral, and Nott and Fredricks were nowhere to be seen. I imagined that not only had Scorpius given them a serious talking to, half of the rest of the house had done so as well. If it hadn't been for them, we might have won. Granted, Scorpius wasn't able to catch the Snitch in time, but from my understanding of what James described, it was only due to him having to help Cassie from getting bludgeoned to death by Lucy and Molly's bludgers. With only one real target for them, it was practically open season on the lone Chaser.

Scorpius was sitting in the back corner, surrounded by Bertram, Gates, Tabby and Six. I made my way in that direction when a dejected "Hey Rose," met my ears.

I turned to the right to see Miles sitting on a couch still wearing his dirty Quidditch robes. I went towards him instead.

"Sorry about the loss," I said, keeping my voice sympathetic.

"Yeah. Sorry about your cousin. She okay?"

I sat down next to him and he pulled me into the nook between his body and his arm.

"She will be. A bit banged up, but nothing serious. Scorpius said that he kicked Nott and Fredricks off the team. Said that he needed two Chasers and asked if I would be one of them." I looked up to glean his reaction and was a little surprised to see irritation there.

"And what did you say?"

"I guess we're going to be teammates now." I smiled at him.

"That's great." His voice was strained.

"Why do I get the feeling that you really don't think it's that great?"

"No, I do... it's just, oh, never mind. It's stupid. Really, it is great. I'm happy for you." He pulled me closer into him and squeezed my shoulder lightly.

I didn't believe him for a second, but I let the matter drop. Honestly I wasn't sure how excited I even was to be playing Chaser. Sure I had wanted to be on the team, but as a Keeper. Being asked to be a Chaser felt like a consolation prize.

Miles and I chatted a little while longer, me snuggled safely against him. He smelled pretty gross, but he was so sad about the loss that I figured I could suffer if my presence cheered him even a little bit. I was such a good girlfriend. And as the night wore on I could feel him relaxing more and his tones were not nearly as depressing as they had started off when I had first come by.

I watched my friends laughing, Tabby looked to be making a special effort to cheer Scorpius, who, for the Captain of a losing Quidditch team wasn't nearly as upset as the Keeper was. I wondered if my accepting to be on the team had anything to do with it, but then I scolded myself for letting Dom's stupid words effect my thoughts. He was probably just glad to have gotten two new Chasers without having to hold another try out.

That must be it.

As the night wore on, and Miles was still in his moody state, I decided to go to bed. So, with a quick kiss on the lips and a squeeze to his shoulder, I went off to the girl's dorm.

**AN: So there was finally a little spark of Scorpius/Rose action! what did you think? I know it is taking a while to get here, but I really need them to build a foundation before they can realize that they are mad about one another.**

**I hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading and especially for those who take the time to review. I aslo want to thank my wonderful beta WeasleyTwinMom who not only has the time to make sure I have no grammar/punctuation issues, but who also rocks as the new Site Admin! She is the best!**


	14. The BreakU Flu

November flew by in a flurry of classes, Quidditch practices, homework and a few snogging sessions with Miles. I did notice that Gloria and Seven weren't spending as much time together, but it didn't matter. I now had Miles. It didn't matter one bit.

It was mid-December and I was working with Scorpius in the library on an Arithmancy assignment that we had been partnered on. We had been working on this damned essay for nearly two weeks and were just about to be done. I was ecstatic for two reasons, one - the paper was going to be perfect and I knew that we had aced this project and two - it meant that the term was almost up and we could head home for the holidays.

A couple of weeks away from Miles at this point would do me some good. He was getting more and more paranoid and clingy. He never would say anything directly, but the moody glares and sulky responses I would get whenever I told him that I had to work on this project with Scorpius was driving me insane. I had gathered, over the past month, that Miles and Scorpius were not on the best of terms. I wondered when that had happened.

They'd seemed perfectly fine during the try-outs. Scorpius wouldn't even deign to respond when I asked him outright why he and Miles no longer get on. Miles just said, 'I just don't trust the bloke.' Trust him with what I had no idea. The tension in practice was palpable though, especially when Scorpius would direct a comment to either myself or Miles. Miles would get defensive either way, which would then cause him to not Keep as well as he was normally able to do.

Scorpius seemed to take it all in stride, though I know I saw him shoot his own little irritated looks in Miles' direction. I really couldn't blame him. Yes, Miles was my boyfriend, and I should be on his side, but his sudden disdain for all things Scorpius Malfoy was the most irrational thing I had ever witnessed - well not actually, I mean, I am related to James Potter - but it was definitely up there.

"There!" I placed the last period to the last sentence on our twelve feet of parchment.

Scorpius looked over at my exceptional punctuation mark, and grinned. "Excellent work, Weasley."

"Why thank you, Malfoy." I bowed my head seeing as I was sitting and could not perform my mock curtsey from this position.

"So, you going home for the break?" He asked as he gathered up the various books that were strewn about our work table.

"Yeah, you?"

"Mum wouldn't have it any other way," he grimaced.

"You don't want to go home then?" I asked. This was the first time that Scorpius had ever really brought up his parents to me. I knew little bits about them, but the Malfoys were a taboo subject in my house. My mum said it was due to old prejudices, and not to let them affect me, but I could tell my dad felt otherwise.

"It's not that, it's just..." Scorpius turned his head away from me. "They're just so miserable. My father holes himself away in his office while my mother tries to do everything she can to please him. And then when that doesn't work she gets mad and the only person there to snap at is me. It's... frustrating. I almost wish they would just call it quits. I don't even know why they got together in the first place." He turned back toward me, his face a mask of indifference, but in his eyes sparkled something else. I could see his own anger at his parents awash in those entrancing blue-green eyes of his.

I wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry," was all that I could come up with and it came out weak and fell out meaningless. I had no idea what that would feel like. I mean sure, my parents fought - all the time actually – but they were like preludes to their making up. It was just what they did, but there was never any doubt that they loved one another, that they desperately wanted to be together. I could not and hopefully never would know what Scorpius must feel like living in such an environment.

He shrugged. "No need to be. It is what it is."

"You going to the Macmillans' New Year's Eve party?" I asked, sensing that Scorpius needed a topic change, and feeling the need of one as well myself.

"Of course. Gotta keep up appearances, even if mum and Aunt Daphne don't get on much."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Oh, yeah. As long as I can remember they have been fighting over one thing or another. Never anything serious as far as I could tell, but it made it hard for Bertram and I to get to hang out. Our fathers would sneak us off to parks and such. We really didn't become close until Hogwarts, when our mothers no longer could control who we could spend time with."

It was the most honest conversation I had ever had with Scorpius. He had always seemed so remote to me. Even after all these months of spending time together, I had never gleaned as much information from him.

"Well, we'll be there, at the party I mean. So feel free to use me as a buffer from your family." I smiled at him and was pleased to see him smile back.

"I might just take you up on that offer." He winked and then grabbed his bag and stood up.

I followed suit and we left the library walking along in companionable silence.

"Rose!" I turned to see Miles coming up behind me.

Scorpius mumbled something and then continued on his way to the common room. I stopped and waited for Miles.

"Hey," I let him clasp my hand in his.

"What were you two doing?"

I detecting an accusing note in his voice that I did not like. I pulled my hand out of his. "We just finished working on our Arithmancy project. I told you this morning that's what I'd be doing."

He grabbed for my hand once more. "Oh, I forgot. Did you finish it then?" he asked, his tone less accusing, but no more friendly.

"Yes."

"Good, then you can stop running off with Malfoy and start spending your time with me."

"I didn't run off with Malfoy! I was doing an assignment. And whatever beef you have with Scorpius keep me out of it. He is my friend and I will not be put in the middle of your weird animosity."

"Friend, my arse," Miles mumbled.

"Excuse me?" I raised my voice.

"Don't play dumb with me Rose. I know he fancies you."

My mouth hung open in a wide gape. "That's ridiculous," I finally managed to splutter after getting my wits together.

"And by the look of things I would say that you fancy him as well."

I stopped walking and stood there in the hallway, eyes wide, anger coursing through me.

"I must be hearing things wrong. Or did my 'boyfriend' just accuse me of fancying someone else?"

"I just call it like I see it," he said with as much venom to match my own.

"Well then, perhaps it would be best if you no longer had to worry about it at all." I turned on my heel and headed down the hallway toward the opposite direction of the common room. I could hear Miles calling my name down the corridor, but I ignored him and ran faster away, hoping that he wouldn't try to catch up with me.

I took a few secret passageways that I was sure he didn't know about and found myself near the Ravenclaw entrance. I was panting and when I reached the door in the ceiling I stopped, resting my hands on my knees I bent over to catch my breath. I wiped at my face and was pleased to note that no tears were there. Good, Miles didn't deserve them anyway. I was more angry than anything. How dare he accuse me of that. I had never been anything but friendly with Scorpius, and the way that Miles made it seem it was as if Scorpius and I had been having some torrid love affair.

It enraged me to think that Miles thought so little of me. That was it though, that was all I felt. Not sadness at us breaking up, because that is most certainly what I had just done, nor remorse for spending time with Scorpius when I knew it made Miles upset. Along with the anger, I could also feel a sense of relief. I no longer had to pretend to feel something that I did not: anything more than friendship for Miles.

The realization that I had never truly liked Miles in that way made me feel guilty. I had not meant to lead him on so; if I had been a better girlfriend I wouldn't have wanted to spend my time with other people as much as I did. I would have respected his dislike of Scorpius and stayed away, but I hadn't, which only showed how much I had taken advantage of the poor guy. I was a mean, horrible person. Miles didn't deserve that from me. From anyone.

I waited by the door to the Ravenclaw common room and hoped that someone would come by soon to let me in or get Dom or Ade out. I probably could have answered whatever riddle came from the knocker, but I felt bad just barging in on another house without invite. It was twenty minutes almost when finally a little second or third year (I couldn't exactly tell) emerged.

They begrudgingly ran back in and got Dom for me, who then ushered me into the common room and over to her dorm. Ade was sitting in front of her trunk, rummaging through all of her designer robes, opening and then refolding them once again.

"What're you doing?" I asked as I sat down on Dom's bed.

"Trying to figure out what I should wear for my date this weekend."

Dom rolled her eyes. "She's gone through her trunk seven times already," she said in a whisper to me and then louder, "The clothes are still the same Ade, not going anywhere."

"Oh, shut up. I want to make sure I look perfect. I think that this bloke might actually work out." She went to unfolding a set of pale blue robes and then folded them again with a sigh.

"What's going on Rose?" Dom asked.

I sighed. "Nothing, just realized I am a huge cow and probably broke poor Miles' heart just now."

Dom raised a brow in question.

"I was just dating him to try and prove that I was over Seven, I think. And then Miles went off and accused me of fancying someone else and I went off and dumped him. And now, instead of sadness, all I feel is relief." I sighed again.

"So who do you fancy then?" Dom asked.

Was that all that she'd gotten from my little explanation? "No one. He was being a prat."

"No one? Not even that Malfoy bloke you've spending all your time with?"

I grabbed Dom's pillow and thwacked her across the head with it. "We were working on a project. Merlin, you would think we were off shagging the way you and Miles are talking."

"Well isn't that what happened, in the entrance hall back at the beginning of the school year?" Ade piped in.

She too received a thwack of the pillow. Dom laughed and got another hit in the head.

"I do not fancy Scorpius Malfoy. Why does everyone keep saying that?" I crossed my arms and sulked, leaning back into the bed.

"I don't know, probably because he is the only bloke that you spend any time with these days, and the only person who you don't seem to pout around." Dom could really be such a bitch.

"Well you are all wrong. He's blond, you know how I feel about blonds."

"You love us and we're blonde." Ade countered.

"Yeah, but I don't fancy either of you."

"Are you sure about that?" Ade asked and wiggled her eyebrows.

I threw the pillow right at her. "Pretty positive. Thanks. So who's this bloke you're going with?"

"Jasper Hart." Ade said, and blushed profusely.

"No?"

She nodded yes.

"Wow. He is brave."

Ade threw the pillow back, it grazed my shoulder.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she huffed.

"Only that James is going to kill him. I mean you are not only going out with someone, you are going with Jasper Hart, one of James' mates and James' biggest competition."

"They do have a tendency to fight over the same things." Dom agreed.

"Well no one is fighting over me. James and I aren't like that and Jasper... well Jasper and I could be..." Adrianna let her thought trail off, leaving no question in my mind as to what Jasper and she could be.

I knew visiting Ade and Dom would cheer me up. I left the Ravenclaw tower with a wide grin on my face and no regrets about the break-up with Miles, other than that I had let our relationship stretch for so much longer than necessary. I was just turning the corner to head down to the stairwell when I heard a very familiar voice echoing through the corridor.

"I don't know why I even bother anymore." Seven's tone was one of obvious frustration.

I snuck closer to the wall and peaked around the corner. There, standing in the way to the staircase was Seven and Gloria. Seven's head was looking up at the ceiling while Gloria stood there, arms crossed. I couldn't really see her face as her hair was in the way, but from the tone of her own voice I gathered that she was just as annoyed as Seven.

"I don't know why you do either. Perhaps you should stop."

"Okay, I will then."

"Good. You know, if you wanted to be with Rose so badly why did you ever break it off with her?"

My heart beat quickened. What did I have to do with anything? Seven and I hadn't spoken since the beginning of term when he told me in no uncertain terms to get out of his life.

"I don't know." I couldn't tell if he was saying it in a sarcastic way or not. His facial expressions were hidden from me, which would have given me some indication. Seven always managed to keep a measured tone, but his mouth and eyes always gave him away.

"Well that's just great. Thanks for nothing."

Gloria started to take a step. I ducked back behind the wall. Crap, crap, crappity crap. I hurriedly looked around for some sort of safe haven from being caught. I ran down the hall in the opposite direction and spotted a large tapestry hanging on the far wall. I sprinted towards it and ducked behind it. My feet were showing, but since I was far enough from the actual trap doorway I hoped that that minor detail would go unnoticed.

I heard footsteps and then a knock on the trap door.

"What is no sooner spoken than broken?"

After no pause at all an annoyed voice said, "Silence".

I heard the door hinge creak and then the sound of the trap door being slammed behind them. I took a ragged breath and stepped quietly out from behind my tapestry. My heart was beating at a hummingbirds pace and it felt as if it just might soar from my chest, but my mind did its very best to temper any of the excitement that I was feeling. Why should I care if Seven and Gloria just broke up? Is that even what happened? Did it matter?

No, it didn't matter. I was done with that creep. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't take the time to check and see if Seven had actually left yet. I didn't notice him standing there until I was almost past him.

"Rose?"

Shite!

I turned around and saw a dejected looking Seven, staring at me, not with the same loathing that I had been receiving ever since the school year had started, but with honest wonder. I melted a little. Shite!

"Oh, hey, didn't see you there." I think I pulled nonchalance off brilliantly.

"What're you doing here?" His wonder turned to suspicion; perhaps I was not as nonchalant as I thought.

Regardless, his tone did serve to remind me that I did in fact despise this person.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I came here to see Dom and Ade." My hands were sitting firmly on my hips now and I gave him my most condemning stare down.

"Oh, right. Sorry." His cheeks colored.

Melting. No. Stop that!

I continued to stare, but my gaze had warmed slightly.

"So, how're they?" He shuffled his feet and looked down at his shoes.

"Um... same."

It felt so weird, talking to him in a somewhat normal manner. I didn't know if I should be hexing him or hugging him. I went with leaving instead. I just wasn't ready for any contact, not like this, not yet. I needed to determine how I felt about being on speaking terms with him before I actually let myself do so.

With a hasty 'bye' I scurried down the stairs and took the first secret passage that I came upon. I didn't want to chance him following me.

Slightly out of breath and a mind whirring madly, I stepped into the Slytherin common room.

Miles was sitting on a couch and looked right at me. He started to get up but I turned and fled up the stairs before he made it more than two steps. In all the turmoil of the past ten minutes I had completely forgotten about Miles.

I suppose I would have to break it off with him properly, but I really wasn't in the mood for that conversation just yet. Way too much for me to handle at the moment.

"What in hell was that all about?" Tabby sauntered in the room, Six at her heels, her eyes wide with question.

"What was what all about?" I know, what was the point in playing it off, they would get it out of me. But damn it, they should at least have to work for it.

"Don't play dumb with me. You know what." Tabby crossed her arms and took a no-nonsense stance in front of my bed.

I sighed heavily. Merlin I made it way too easy, but I guess I just had no fight in me tonight.

"I broke up with him."

"You did what?" Six came forward and pushed Tabby out of the way.

"I. Broke. Up. With. Him." I enunciated all of my words slowly and carefully.

"Well, why?"

Merlin. You'd think I had just gone and offed someone. "He was being a prat and I realized that I really just don't want a boyfriend right now." I fruitlessly hoped that that would end the barrage of questions that Six was aching to ask.

"I heard it was because you kept sneaking off to be with Malfoy."

My head snapped to Tabby. "What?"

"Some third year overheard you." She shrugged and sat down on the corner of Six's four poster.

"So if you knew..."

"Just humoring Six here," she waved a limp hand in Six's direction.

"Wait, so you knew? And you didn't tell me." Six turned on Tabby.

"Not my place. I don't spread gossip, I just listen to it. So, is it true then, Rose?"

I was stunned that Tabby had heard anything about it, and frustrated that now _this_ rumor about me and Scorpius would be circulating the Hogwarts population. Great.

Tabby raised an eyebrow at me.

I should probably answer.

"No, it's not true. Scorpius and I had an Arithmancy project to work on. Miles was just being a jealous prat."

"If you say so..." Tabby's voice sang out. Damn her mocking tone.

"I do. Why is everyone so eager to put me and Scorpius together anyway?"

"I think you two do that well enough for the rest of us."

Grr. I needed to stop being friends with Tabby.

I was being a coward. I fully admit it. But it was just so much easier to have Six scout out the common room for signs of Miles before going down stairs. It would have been nice if Tabby would have played along with my evasion scheme, but I didn't trust her not to give me the all clear only to find that Miles was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Around ten that night Six came up to tell me that Miles had headed into his dorm, apparently after watching the girls' staircase all night. I should probably not have cared at that point, since it was so late and all, but I desperately needed to get out of the dorm room where Hollace was blathering on to Jocelyn about something stupid. I couldn't actually hear the conversation, but I had no doubts as to the intellectual quality of their banter.

I strode down and was glad to see Bertram, Scorpius and Gates were still up. There were several other people milling about the common room as well, but not a Miles Flynn in sight. I let out my breath, even with Six's all clear I still couldn't help but be nervous.

"Ah, the elusive Rose has made an appearance." Scorpius smirked.

I smacked him on the back of the head.

"So what gives?" Bertram asked as Scorpius rubbed his fingers through the back of his hair where I had just laid into him.

"What gives what?" I asked innocently.

"Not this again." Tabby interjected. "Rose broke up with Miles and now she is being a bint and avoiding him like the plague."

I glared at Tabby.

"Hey! Why doesn't she get a smack?" Scorpius asked petulantly.

I smacked him again. I don't know why, but it felt pretty damn good.

"Ow." He rubbed at his head once more.

I grinned.

"So why'd you break it off with the _god_ that is Miles Flynn?" Bertram asked adding a very distinctive sarcasm when saying the word 'god'.

I rolled my eyes. "Please. One: he is not a god, and two: it is none of your bleeding business."

The subject was dropped, thankfully. Gates actually interjected with a question about what we thought would be on our potions final and I took that up as if my life depended on it. I was really beginning to appreciate all that was Gates. Wish he could be my dorm mate instead of Tabby... or Hollace. Definitely Hollace. But Tabby wouldn't be too bad either.

It was getting late; the common room thinned out and Tabby and Gates had already left to go to bed. Bertram followed soon after, leaving me with Six and Scorpius. I was sitting in my chair that overlooked the porthole and hadn't been listening much to whatever it was Scorpius and Six were blathering on about. My head was so full of the interlude with Seven and the break with Miles and everyone's fascination with me being with Scorpius, I just didn't have any room in it to focus.

"You going to bed?"

I jostled my head to clear it of all the turmoil and then focused on Six. "Yeah, I'll be up in a bit." I smiled at her and then looked back at the porthole. I assumed that she had left because I didn't hear anymore from her.

The water roiled in shades of navy, purple, and black. I imagined the mermaids' lantern type things were the source of all of the light that had managed to seep into the depths of the lake, showing off its different hues.

"You okay?"

I jolted again, completely having forgotten that Scorpius was still there.

"Yeah, of course, why?" I again plastered on a smile.

"Let's see, you just broke up with your boyfriend, and the last time you sat here staring at that porthole so intently you had been a bit upset over that Deciles git."

"Well, I'm fine, okay? See, I'm smiling." I broadened my mouth into what I hoped would be an award-winning smile.

Scorpius ducked behind his hands. "Put that away, you'll give me nightmares."

Cheeky git.

"Very funny." I frowned.

"Ah, much better." He sat up straight and on the edge of his chair.

"Hey Scorpius, can I ask you something?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Why did you and Seven stop being friends?" I hadn't really thought much about it since Six had brought it up all those months ago, but for some reason my curiosity on the subject was piqued tonight. Maybe it was because I could see why Seven and Scorpius would get along, they were a lot alike, but not. I couldn't really explain it.

Scorpius turned his head and glanced out of the porthole that I had been staring at moment before.

"Because Seven only wants things for the sake of taking them away from others."

Enigmatic much?

"For instance?" I asked.

Scorpius was quiet for a minute and then said, "One time, when we were in third year, we were at this bootleg record store. There was an album for sale, a live performance of the Screaming Banshees, only fifty copies ever made." He paused and I nodded my head for him to continue.

"I was a huge Banshees fan, Seven hated them-"

"Still does," I added in.

"But he found the album first, and even though he knew how much I would have wanted it, he bought it for himself. Said that it was a 'great collector's item' and then later that summer I went over and saw that he was using the record as a coaster."

"But weren't you two friends in fourth year still?"

"Yeah, for a bit, but then he did it to me again, and I decided that I didn't want to be around a git like that."

"What was it that time?" I wondered if perhaps he also liked The Wolf Pack, one of my other favorite bands after The Screaming Banshees.

"Just something he knew I wanted." Scorpius then stood, "Well, I'm off, been a long day."

I stood up as well. "Yeah, tell me about it."

We were facing one another, his odd aquamarine colored eyes boring into my own baby blues.

We stood there, neither one of us moving, as if we were stuck to the floor with a permanent sticking solution. I couldn't decide if I was uncomfortable, anxious, or excited. I could feel a tumult growing in my stomach but if it was butterflies or just gas, I wasn't sure.

"I promise that this won't affect the team." I am not sure why that was what had come out of my mouth, but it broke whatever spell we had been held captive under.

"Huh?" Scorpius looked at me curiously.

"Me and Miles' split. I won't let it affect the Quidditch team," I clarified, for no other reason than to end this awkward moment.

"Oh, good. Yeah, that's good. Well, off to bed now." Scorpius stepped around me and went up the boys' stairs.

I however slumped back into the chair and stared further out of the porthole, adding one more question to the tumult of my brain. _Did I fancy Scorpius Malfoy?_

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, soooooooo sorry. If anyone is still reading this I apologize profuselly for my late update. RL has completely taken over my life.**

**Anyway, so that was chapter 14... what'd you think? Do you think Rose will finally realize what she feels for our Scorpius? What about her hearing Seven's split with Gloria? Will that cause some further complications for our destined lovers? I guess you will have to wait and see, but come xmas break things are going to get interesting.**

**Thanks so much for anyone who is still with this story. Also to my totally awesome Beta WeasleyTwinMom..**

**Okay, this is me... signing off!**


	15. My Mum Did What!

I was glad that the end of term was coming for it meant I only had to keep up my avoision (my new made up word of the week) tactics for a couple more days. This worked out great because I had taken to avoiding not only Miles, but Scorpius as well. I hadn't decided yet as to how I might feel about him. On the one hand, he was a great guy. Scorpius seemed to really understand me but he was also very hard to read and that made me nervous. I didn't know if I was ready to like someone again. With Miles it was easy- there was no possibility of my getting hurt- but with Scorpius...it was different, is all. Physically, he was not my type but there was no doubt I was starting to find him attractive, blond hair and all. Even I couldn't delude myself into thinking otherwise.  
But then there was Seven. He had started smiling at me in classes and when we passed in the hall. He'd even said a couple of 'hey's' to me and I'd noticed that Gloria had all but disappeared.

Honestly, I was relieved when the Hogwarts Express pulled up at Hogsmeade Station. I'd be able to start a trek away from all of this potential drama. I made sure to get a compartment with Dom and Ade, in essence, avoiding any chance of run-ins with any of the people I didn't want to see. Jasper Hart was in the compartment with us, as was Dom's "bloke of the week". Poor sod, it was obvious to all of us that Dom was just amusing herself with him. Once the train pulled into the station at Platform 9 and 3/4's, there was no doubt that she would forget all about him. Hell, I didn't even bother to catch his name...what was the point?

And so, it was me and two couples- not the ideal but it did give me time to think things over. Ade was too busy impressing all that was the ebony god, Jasper Hart, while 'poor sod' was busy worshiping at Dom's feet. Well, not technically…he was just sitting beside her but he might as well have been.

We were about an hour out of London when my bladder became insistent, crying out that I needed to relieve myself. I'd been holding it for a while now but it was starting to get so bad that I was wiggling around in my seat, performing the patented "pee-pee dance" from my childhood. When 'poor-sod' gave me an odd look, I figured it was time to bite the bullet and head for the loo. I wandered out into the hallway with fingers crossed, praying I wouldn't run into anyone I was trying to avoid.

I was only partly lucky. As I exited the compartment, I made a left and... "Oomph!" Stumbling backwards, I looked up at my prat of a cousin. "James Potter, what in Merlin's name are you doing out here?"

"Shh, keep your voice down!" He put his hand over my mouth, which I did not appreciate _at all_. In fact, it disgusted me so much that I decided a nice little bite was in order- repayment for pawing at my mouth with his clammy hands.

"Ow!" James pulled his hand back and shook it. "What was that for?"

I looked at him crossly.

"Fine," he hissed, looking over my shoulder into the compartment- which, apparently, had not been disrupted by our little run-in. "Sorry."

"What _are_ you doing?" I whisper shouted at him.

"Me?" he hedged, still taking glances over my shoulder. "Nothing…"

Normally I would have stayed to interrogate him further but, since I was about to pee my pants, I figured it was in everyone's best interest to leave the inquisition for another time.

There would definitely be one though. Oh yes, James Potter wasn't getting away that easy.

"Whatever, I have to go." I practically shoved him out of my way and made a mad dash to the toilet at the end of the car.

After relieving myself, I made it back to the compartment with no further incident or run in with James. The rest of the trip passed by quickly enough- there were only a couple of gag worthy moments between the two couples. Jasper and Ade looked really cute together, though they didn't actually talk much. Thankfully, their snog sessions didn't go any further than sweet kisses and an occasional touch. 'Poor sod' was trying to get the same action from Dom but she was more interested in the magazine she was reading. His attempts to get her to pay attention to him were full of the aforementioned "gag" moments but, seeing as I had so much on my mind, I was able to block out his pleading easily enough.

I hung back once the train stopped- I didn't want to wander onto the platform and run into anyone I was trying to avoid. So I waited.

And waited…

Until, finally, I thought it safe enough to leave and exited the compartment.

_Drat! _There, leaning against the wall of the opposite compartment, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the ceiling as if he had no care in the world, was Scorpius _bleeding_ Malfoy.

An odd fluttering began in my stomach. "What're you doing?" I asked, though it came out more like a croak.

"Ah, so you're done avoiding me?" He pushed off from the wall with his back muscles or something- that or magic, cause I swear, the boy didn't move any visible part of his body.

"It's hard to avoid a stalker," I shot back and the butterflies flapped their wings even harder.

The left side of his mouth pulled up as he followed me through the train.

"Look, I wasn't avoiding you I was just..." Crap! What was I doing?

"Just not talking to me, looking at me, or being within a 100 meter radius of me," Scorpius finished.

I dipped my head, hoping my hair would cover the blush creeping up my face.

"I get it you know."

I stopped and turned to face him. "You do?" I searched his eyes, not quite sure what I was looking for.

"Yeah, I do," he replied, his tone flat. "You're free now...Deciles is free now...you can't be seen associating with me any longer."

"What?" I blinked in confusion. "No, that's not it."

"Aha, so you _are _avoiding me."

I started walking again. Man this car was long! Where the _hell_ was the exit?

"That's not what I meant either."

"If you say so Miss Weasley," he rejoined, still wearing that annoying smirk.

_Erg!_ I wish my frustration could overpower these damn butterflies!

When we finally stepped off the train, I spotted my dad's bright head towering over the throng- which was now less of a throng and more of a small gathering. Hugo was standing next to him, glancing around impatiently.

I set off towards my family and Scorpius split off to the right. Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I noticed a blonde woman with her hair pulled back in a tight chignon, clad in immaculate robes, obviously of the highest quality. It had to be Scorpius' mother. I could see, even from here, where he'd gotten those entrancing eyes. She caught me staring and I quickly averted my gaze, though I still felt her eyes on my back.

"Hey there, Rosie," my dad said as I approached, "thought you got lost getting off the train." His tone was playful and he wore his wonderful, lopsided grin. His gaze flashed towards Scorpius but he made no comment, for which I was grateful.

"Can we_ go_ now?" Hugo whined.

We left Kings Cross Station and headed home, piling into our magically enhanced Insignia. We had only one incident where I thought dad might run off the highway but, he didn't and we made it home in one piece…though, I think I'd left my stomach back on the M4.

Twinkles opened the door to our four-story, stone house and greeted us with a low bow.

"Hey'a, Twink!" Hugo greeted the house elf as he passed her by, patting her on her wrinkly head.

"Master Hugo," Twink bowed again, a faint blush on her cheeks. Her affection for my brother was clear and had been since the day that my parents brought him home from St. Mungo's.

I, in turn, greeted Twinkles and she magicked our trunks up to our rooms. It was nice to be home again. The smell of pine and parchment enveloped me…the smell of _home. _

Dad shut the door behind us. "Go get settled in," he suggested. "Just be down for dinner in an hour. Your mum'll be home by then."

I didn't need to be told twice. Rushing up the stairs, I ascended the third floor and made my way to my bedroom. I yanked open the door, leaping onto my bed in one stride. My duvet, a sage-colored suede, felt soft and familiar against my skin. I loved going to Hogwarts, don't get me wrong, but there was something about being in your own room, in your own home. Or, I guess this was really my parents' home but…whatever.

I looked around the room. Everything seemed to be in its place. My armoire and desk were the same as they'd been before. My bed was still centered beneath the large window looking out over the back yard. But, one thing struck me as odd. My record collection, which I kept in a very particular order stacked up next to my record player, was missing. I shot out of bed and began to poke around the room. Frantic, I looked under the mattress- _nothing._ I opened my closet- _nothing._ I searched between my bookcase and armoire- _nothing. _

"TWINKLES!" I shouted into the emptiness of my room.

There was a loud crack as the old elf appeared.

"Yes Miss?" She bowed to me.

"Twinkles…" I kneeled down so we were eye to eye, gripping her by the shoulders. "Where are my records?"

"They has been put away, Miss," she replied meekly. "Mistress Hermione is saying that they is too much clutter." The poor elf winced and I noticed that I was clawing my fingernails into her papery skin.

I loosened my grip. "Where did they get put away?" I asked in a measured tone.

"In there, Miss." Twinkles pointed at my closet.

Even though I had already looked in there, I rushed to open the door…and found nothing, just some clothes I didn't dignify as worthy enough for Hogwarts and a pair of ratty, old trainers.

I looked back at Twinkles pleadingly.

The elf shuffled over and pushed a knot in the wood at the back of the closet. A shelf sprung forward and there, in all its Alphabetical Glory, was my prized record collection. Heaving a sigh of relief, I gave Twinkles my most grateful smile.

"Is that being all, Miss?" The elf asked as she bowed once more.

"Yes, Twinkles, thank you, that is all."

I thumbed through the collection, just to make sure it was all there. My finger brushed over _The Screaming Banshees _album Scorpius had mentioned the other night and I pulled the sheath out from between two other records. On the cover was a waxy looking witch with long, white hair screaming with all of her might. Two other women flanked her, wearing identical white robes and matching white hair. _The Screaming Banshees: Live from Godricks Hollow, 2019. _

Merlin, I loved this album, it was one of my all-time favorites. Seven had given it to me for our one year anniversary. I remember listening to it over and over for three weeks straight. That is, until Tabby swiped it and hid it from me until end of term. At that point she told me to take it home or she would break it over my head. Of course, as soon as Scorpius told me the story about Seven, I knew I had his coveted album. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him, however.

Pulling the record from the sheath, I placed it carefully on the player. The needle made a wonderful, static noise when it hit the black of the record- it might have been my favorite noise in the entire world. Lying back in my bed, I listened to the record, soaking up the rather whiney, yet 'very applicable to my life', music. There was nothing like a bunch of angry witches to convey the horror that it is being a woman in today's world. I kinda wondered why Scorpius liked them so much, as most blokes didn't. But then, Scorpius never seemed to follow what other people did. Maybe that was why I liked him.

Okay, I'll admit it. I, Rose Weasley, fancy Scorpius Malfoy. There, I said it! Well, in my head, anyway. Now, the question- what do I _do_ about it?

I felt weird bringing it up with him for a number of reasons: 1 - There was the whole, Team Captain just broke up with his Keeper thing, _that _could definitely get awkward; 2 - What if he didn't like me the same way and I ruined our friendship by mentioning anything? I really enjoyed being his friend and I wasn't sure if this little crush was worth the risk; and 3 - I didn't know what was going on with Seven. He was being so nice to me lately and, after his fight with Gloria, well, it sounded like he still had feelings for me.

I was really glad to be home- the break would give me well-needed time to think things over. Although, what if Seven was just being nice as a friend and didn't want me back and I didn't pursue this thing with Scorpius because of it and then it was too late because he'd met the girl of his dreams and I end up all alone?

Okay, need to stop freaking out, Rose.

Scorpius barely talks to anyone as it is- there is no way he'll meet the girl of his dreams without being able to intercede.

But then, what about Seven?

Damn, my head hurt! I should just lay off boys all together, that was my original plan, after all. And it definitely sounded like a good one. Maybe I should take the rest of the year to focus on my schoolwork, especially after the shoddy showing I'd given during my "Seven Depression" when school started. Yeah, that's what I'll do!

Nothing.

Not a thing.

No guys for me.

Rose Weasley is going to remain single for the rest of the year. Or, at least until I know if Scorpius or Seven likes me...

No! Not even then. I shall stand firm- single, alone and _firm. _

"Rose!" I heard my mum's muffled voice filter through my closed door. "Dinner's ready!"

Oh good, something to keep my mind occupied. Running downstairs, I was greeted with a scrumptious meal courtesy of the local take out place Hugo and I loved.

It sure was nice to be home.

****

Dinner started in its usual fashion- Dad and I rushed to fill our plates and scarf down as much as we could in one bite- while Hugo and Mum ate in a more refined manner. They chewed with their mouths closed and everything…

"So Rose, what did Scorpius want?" Hugo asked after he finished chewing.

I shot him a withering glare. "Nuffin'." I didn't bother to swallow before retorting to his nosy inquiry.

"Scorpius? As in…_Malfoy?" _Mum asked, her voice going high as her eyes flickered over to dad.

"Yeah, when I was leaving the train I saw him standing outside Rose's compartment," Hugo explained. "I assume he was waiting for her."

Oh Hugo, why must you give me reasons to maim you?

Dad's face started to go red. "Oh, and what did he want Rose?" he asked in a strangled voice.

I blushed. "Nothing really, he just wanted to...er...talk about an Arithmancy project we worked on together." It was as good an excuse as any. I just hoped my parents didn't pick up on my hesitation. Though, knowing mum, she had.

"Well that was nice of him…wasn't it, dear?" That last bit was directed at my father, who was now turning a bright crimson. I could sense some sort of tantrum coming on but, over what, I didn't know. I mean, sure, I'd heard my dad didn't like the Malfoy's but mum always told me to ignore him, that they were perfectly nice people.

Dad clenched his hands tightly around his fork and knife but refrained from further comment. I looked back and forth between them, wondering what on earth was going on.

"So, Hugo how were your end of term exams?" Mum changed the subject and dad's grip loosened on his utensils.

Very interesting… It made me worry about what I would tell them should Scorpius and I ever start dating. I shook my head. _No,_ I was single Rose. No more boyfriends. No more boys. It was better this way, especially after the reaction my dad had at the mention of the name Malfoy.

The rest of dinner was just like any other. There was still a little tension on my dad's side of the table and my mum tried harder than usual to keep the conversation going but, all in all it was like any average night at the Weasley's.

Later that evening, dad, Hugo and I sat in front of the Tele and watched a holiday special involving a reindeer and an overly bright, red nose. Mum was reading a book and would look up every once in a while, commenting on how she 'remembered that part' from when she was a little girl.

Once the special was over, I was anxious to get to bed. The trip from school had been exhausting- mostly mentally- but traveling always made me tired. I was just drifting off to sleep, warm covers pulled up to just below my ears, when I heard the muffled shouting of my father. I sat up in bed and listened closely. There was silence, probably from mum shushing my dad, but then his booming voice started up again.

I slipped out of bed and crept slowly towards my door. My fingers fell flat against the oak and I pressed my ear up to it to see if I could figure out what all the shouting was about. It was no use- they were too far away. I probably should have gone back to bed but, then I would be no closer to knowing what in Merlin's name was going on. I opened my door with a slow twist of the knob. Bare foot, I tip toed down towards the edge of the staircase, making sure to tread along the right side to avoid that squeaky, middle step. My parents were one floor down. I was amazed that mum hadn't relocated them to the ground level but she probably didn't think he was as angry as obviously he was.

The closer I got to the landing, the more I could hear what my father was shouting, while Mum's words were still hushed and indecipherable. Dad kept saying things like, 'damn-it Hermione,' and 'bloody ferret', none of which made any sense to me. When I finally got close enough to the room where they were having their row, I noticed a light shining through the crack at the bottom of the door. I placed my ear to the wood and listened.

"...not going to have it," my dad ranted.

"Have what Ron?" Mum admonished. "Now keep your voice down or the kids will hear you,"

"You know what I mean, Hermione! I won't have her fraternizing with that Malfoy boy."

"Fraternizing? How are you going to stop it? He's in her house and he's her age- it is inevitable that they will _fraternize_." I could hear her mocking my father's use of the word.

"I'm her father- I can order her to stop!" Dad could really be a petulant child at times.

"No you can't and honestly I don't even know why you care. It was years ago, Ron! Draco is in the past." I heard light footsteps padding across the room.

"Years or not, I don't bloody care! I do not want our family to have anything to do with his."

"_Ron." _My mum's voice was soft.

"Hermione, I won't have it." His voice held less conviction.

"Ron, what are you worried about? You know that Draco and I are a thing of the past. I am very happily married, even if my husband is as stubborn as a mule," she added, her voice thick with exasperation. "Now let Rose be- we don't even know that anything is going on between them. Maybe he was just asking her about their project."

"_Please! _I know you don't believe that rubbish anymore than I do."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I figured mum would catch on but, dad? He could be kinda thick at times.

"Fine, so what if something is going on! They have their own lives to lead and our past should hold no bearing on their future. Now…come to bed."

I didn't wait to hear my father's response for two reasons: 1 - I could tell that the conversation was coming to an end; and 2 - the tone that mum used to ask dad to come to bed...well, let's just say I vomited a little in my mouth. Parents should not be doing things like that with kids around. I think it might be illegal, or should be, anyway.

When I got back to my room, sleep was the last thing on my mind. My mum and Scorpius' dad had…what? Dated? Had an affair? I wasn't sure but, the way that she said 'Draco' instead of Malfoy and the gentle tone in which she'd said it, not to mention that little comment, 'Draco and I are a thing of the past'. It was all giving me the creeps. The idea that my mum and Scorpius' dad had a thing… Ew! Just, ew! Now I was _really _confused. I guess it was good that I had sworn off all boys- yep, a very good thing, indeed.

No more boys for Rose!

**A/N: so that was pretty quick right? It's all thanks to my new beta dracosgem. She rocks. Thanks Red! And hopefully that will make up for my deplorable wait time last chapter.******

**So what do you think? She has finally sort of discovered her parent's past. Do you think she really will be able to give up on boys? How about that Hugo and his big mouth? Or Scorpius and his amazing back muscles.? And let's not forget the word of the day 'avoision' let's all use it in a sentence today :)******

**Thanks so much to all of you who are reading and especially those that review, reviews definitely make my day.**


	16. A Weasley XMas

At first, I tried to ignore what I'd overheard about my mum and Scorpius' dad. I was very good at avoiding things and this was just another conflict I couldn't deal with. So, as the days past and Christmas loomed ever closer, I took the time to focus on how I was going to get James to own up to his shenanigans. He was up to something and I was going to find out what.

Weasley Christmas' were always a memorable event. Last year, Uncle Charlie had given Uncle George a large purple ear and he proudly wore for the rest of the day. Normally, this would not have been a problem but, as it turns out, Herculese (Dom's new owl) doesn't like the color purple. He attacked Uncle George's head and absconded with the new ear...but not before getting a good peck at my uncle's eye. After that, Uncle George had to wear an eye patch for months- though I think he rather enjoyed that bit. He insisted on talking like a pirate for quite a while...that is, until Aunt Angelina threatened to leave him if he didn't stop.

I'm still a little unsure if I should even call her _Aunt_ Angelina…since she and Uncle George never got married. We don't talk about that though, 'cause Nana Molly gets really quiet when we do and that's scarier than when she shouts. _Much_ scarier...

Hmm, maybe Aunt Angelina would know about my mum and Draco Malfoy? If anyone would tell me the truth about it, it'd be her. Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey were never in the loop so they were probably privy to very few details, if anything at all. Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur would tell me to ask mum and dad- they were _far_ too proper to gossip. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny would only lie to protect my parents, I _knew_ that much. And, though Uncle Charlie was a good choice, he was spending Christmas in Romania this year. That left Uncle George and Aunt Angelina. Of the two, I knew she was more likely to tell me the truth- Uncle George had a tendency to exaggerate.

Okay- two missions this Christmas: 1- find out what in bloody hell James is up to; and 2 - get Aunt Angelina to tell me about my mum's affair with Mr. Malfoy. It was _definitely_ going to be an interesting holiday. Especially when the only gift I'd gotten so far was a set of Keeper gloves for my dad. Never mind the fact that I'd originally bought them for Miles.

I was a horrible slacker when it came to shopping for other people but, I couldn't help it. I wanted to give them nice things, truly I did...I just didn't want to to go out and get them. Shopping for other people was nowhere near as fun as shopping for me. As it was, I figured a trip to Diagon Alley was in order but, the idea of winding through crowded streets filled with last minute shoppers was not at all appealing. So I decided to check out the little thrift store a few blocks from my house. It was guaranteed to be practically empty and, who knew? I might find some really great stuff.

Hugo offered to come with me and, since we'd agreed that we weren't exchanging prezzies this year, I figured it was safe to bring him along. The wind bit at my face as we trudged towards the little store, my cheeks and nose burning from the winter's bitter chill. It wasn't anything worse than I'd experienced on the Quidditch pitch but I still pulled my scarf over my face to deflect the wind.

_Second Hand Sam's _was a musty old joint located in the basement of a nearby Laundromat. Hugo and I rushed down the narrow staircase to get out of the icy weather and, shrugging out of our coats, had a long look around. Just as I expected, there was no one there except a lone sales clerk and an elderly woman sorting through a box of old hats.

Because our family was so large, we'd decided long ago that it was ridiculous to buy presents for _everyone. _We allagreed to buy for our immediate families and to draw three names from a hat for extended members. This year mum owled me and told me I'd gotten Uncle Percy, Louis and Victoire. Including those three, I still had mum and Ade to buy for. Since I already had dad's gift, I needn't worry about him and I never exchanged presents with Six- she understood what it was like to have an overly large family to buy for.

I began to rummage through a stack of old records, thinking mum might like something from her younger years. Most were artists from the 60's and 70's though, so I didn't end up buying anything. A rack of scarves stood nearby and I began to sort through them. The majority had loud, horrible patterns and two or three were stained with an unidentified residue. I did manage to find a nice red one at the back I thought Victoire might like.

One down, four to go.

After an hour of sorting through rubbish, I came out with what could be considered a nice haul. Uncle Percy was getting a book entitled _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values _by Robert M. Pirsig. I had no idea what it was about but the title intrigued me. I couldn't find anything else I thought he would like, anyway. Louis was simple- I found a barely used set of oil paints, sans the orange, but I figured he could make it with the red and yellow. He was the only truly artistic person in the family so I knew he would really enjoy them. I bought Ade some pretty, old fashioned hair clips that would look great in her long blonde hair.

That left mum. I spent the most time on her present because every time I tried to focus on what to get her, the idea of her and Mr. Malfoy together crept into my head. It made me feel as if I didn't really know her. How could I be expected to pick something out for someone I didn't know?

In the end, I settled on a pearl necklace that looked a lot like one she used to wear when I was younger. With all my shopping done, I looked around for Hugo to see how he'd fared. I found him over by the box of hats the woman had been looking through earlier. He had on a fedora with a blue feather and held a black Stetson in his hands. Hugo posed in a small, dingy mirror that hung against the back wall, a wide grin on his face. Removing the fedora, he replaced it with the Stetson and posed again.

"I don't know, Hugh...I'm not sure you can pull off 'cowboy'," I teased, giggling at him.

He stuck his tongue out at me and then pulled the front brim of the hat down with a crooked finger.

Flicking it back, he smirked. "I think you're wrong, Rose," he argued. "I'd make an incredible cowboy." With that he tossed the fedora back in the box and sidled up to the sales clerk, pulling some money out to pay for the Stetson.

I suppose there's no accounting for taste.

Bags in hand, we braved the cold weather once more. Now, all there was left to do was wrap these infernal presents and wait one more day to talk to Aunt Angelina. I could use the time to think about what I was going to do about James. Part of me wanted to let him have his fun but rational Rose knew that no good would come from letting James run amok. It would more than likely end up hurting both he _and_ Ade.

Christmas came on quickly and I was eager to get to the Burrow to corner Auntie Ange. I stood impatiently by as dad piled all of our gifts into mum's magically expanding bag. She had cornered Hugo and was trying to adjust his collar, which he was having none of. I couldn't blame him- fussy mum was never any fun.

Finally, we were all ready to go. Of course, _I_ had been ready since I woke up that morning and could hardly wait to get to the Burrow and grill James and Aunt Angelina.

Piling comfortably into the Insignia, we set off for Nana Molly and Granddad Weasley's. By the time we arrived, the Burrow was bustling with activity. Every Weasley in England was trying to get into the house all at once and I was amazed by how many of us there actually were. In fact, it was a bit scary. I spotted Uncle George and Auntie Ange straight away- my uncle had cousin Molly hitched up on his shoulder, to the consternation of Uncle Percy who was trying to keep his other daughter Lucy from running straight for his lanky brother. It was probably annoying to have your only children enjoy the company of your brother more than you. I couldn't blame them, of course- Uncle Percy was too boring for words.

Auntie Ange was pulling Roxy and Fred out of the car, her smile a bit wider than usual. Not that she didn't always smile but there was something toothier about her grin today. Maybe she was laughing at Uncle George's antics...or at Uncle Percy's sour face.

"Antie Ange!" I called out, making a beeline for her with a skip in my step. Christmas was definitely a wonderful time.

"_Oomph_!" Cold, wet snow slammed into the side of my face just as I neared Aunt Ange. I turned to see James and Al huddled behind one of the trees, giggling like the little girls they were. Lily was a few feet away, her hair drenched, and I could only imagine the snow bombs those two had tossed at her. Her scowl confirmed my suspicions and I bit back a laugh as she tried to gather some of her own snow. Of course, every time she leaned over to scoop it up, they lobbed another bomb at her.

Well, that just wouldn't do. Lobbing snowballs at girls wasn't very nice...even if it was Lily. Being an expert snowball maker, I packed a nice large clump in my gloved hands and piled up my own, private arsenal. With the aim of an expert Chaser, I hurled two snow balls towards my cousins, one right after the other. Each hit its intended mark, even when those idiots tried to duck behind the tree! Silly boys, didn't they realize who they were messing with?

"Truce! Truce!" Al shouted from behind the tree, his voice muffled (likely from a mouthful of snow. IfI knew my snowballs, they did their job).

"I don't know," I shouted. "Can I trust you?"

"No, you can't!" James laughed as a snowball hit the other side of my face.

Stupid little wanker!

Naturally, that was the beginning of the end. Lucy and Molly took up arms, as did Fred, Hugo, Roxy, Dom, Louis, Vic, Teddy, and even Uncle Harry. Uncle George and dad eventually wandered out to join the fight and it was utter bedlam...and utterly fantastic. I even caught my mum charming a large snow ball and sending it straight for dad's head. I didn't realize she had it in her...

Nana Molly ended our fun with shrieks of us all "catching our deaths". She ushered everyone into the house where she dried us off one by one with her wand. We were unsuccessful in looking contrite, though we definitely tried.

"Rose dear, you're looking rather thin," Nana Molly fussed as she tugged me into the kitchen. "Sit down and have some stew."

This was normal for any Weasley but, this time, I felt a little embarrassed. I still hadn't managed to bounce back to my previous weight, though there wasn't much more to go. It was all the damn Quidditch practices! They really put a damper on my ability to pack on the extra pounds. Ignoring my mother's concerned expression, I dug into my stew with gusto. Not a hard feat, considering how delicious it was.

Eventually, I was joined by the rest of the grandkids, Uncle George and my dad. We all sat in silence, focused on our plates of steaming stew. One by one, people finished off their bowls and left the table. The first to go were Lily and Louis, who were likely off to continue their annual tradition of exploding snap. Then Molly and Lucy snuck off- I didn't _want _to know what they were up to. Then Roxy, Dom, Dad, Uncle George and Hugo, who retired to the parlor to listen to the Cannons/United Quidditch match. This left me with Fred, Al and James- _just_ the bloke I wanted to talk to.

"So James, been stalking any train compartments lately?" I asked in a mocking voice.

"As a matter of fact, I have," he replied in confidence, slurping up a large spoonful of stew.

I was so surprised by his honesty a chunk of potato fell into my lap instead of my mouth.

"You really should be more careful with your food there, Rosie," James added as Fred and Al began to chuckle.

"Fun_ny._" I wrinkled my nose in displeasure. "So...what _were_ you doing outside of our compartment?"

"Recon."

"_Recon_?"

"Is there an echo in here?" he drawled. "Yes, recon- as in reconnaissance- an exploration or scouting mission in order to gain needed information."

"I know what it means you plank!" I snapped. "And just what were you trying to learn? How Dom's man of the second was fairing? Or perhaps you were more concerned with how Ade's face looked smashed up against Jasper's?" I had expected some sort of reaction at the mention of Ade snogging another bloke but I was sorely disappointed.

James didn't bat an eye.

"More like making sure Jasper was doing his job," Al piped up between bites.

_This_ did get a rise out of James. His face darkened and he sent a cold, hard stare at his younger, albeit oblivious, brother. Fred pursed his lips to keep from laughing.

"Doing _what_ job?" I asked in a brittle voice.

Ignoring his brother, Al grinned. "James here traded his Snape Wizarding Card to Jasper for him to take out Ade a couple of weeks," he explained. "Not a bad deal, if you ask me. That card's worth at least a hundred gall- _oomph!_" Al buckled over in his seat as James' wand poked him in the stomach. The elder Potter wore a fierce expression and he growled lowly.

Shooting up out of my seat, I glared at my cousin. "You _paid_ Jasper to go out with Adrianna?" I all but shrieked. "What is the _matter_ with you?"

Fred bust out with a loud bray that reminded me of the donkey Hagrid had kept in his yard all last spring.

James sneered at his brother and Fred then turned to me with innocent eyes. "It's what she wanted, isn't it?" He withdrew his wand from Al's stomach and twirled it around his fingers.

"What makes you think Ade wanted you to pay some bloke to take her out?"

"Look, I heard that she didn't want to hang out 'cuz I scare off the fella's, yeah?" He raised his brows. "So I let her date this one under controlled circumstance and she'll see I can be cool and we'll start hanging out again." James' face was triumphant, as if his ridiculous plan didn't smell like shite.

"You are the most imbecilic bastard I have ever met, James Potter! You think she'll want to be your friend once she finds out you _paid_ a guy to date her?" I could feel my face burning red hot in anger. "You think it'll make her happy that she can't live her own life without _you_ interfering? Are you really that stupid?"

"Well when you put it like that..." He started to look guilty.

As well he should, the wanker!

"She's gonna be crushed when I tell her!" I slumped back in my seat in exasperation.

"NO!" James shouted, "You can't!"

I opened my mouth to respond but he continued before I could get a word in. "Look…okay, so it was a dumb idea but I was desperate! I mean, she'll barely even look at me! I figured if I could get her to date one guy, she could see how cool I was with everything and we could go back to the way things were before..." His eyes widened and his expression was like a sad, puppy dog.

It made it really hard for me to maintain my ire.

"And why would you be okay with Jasper and no one else?" I demanded. "Why would you want her to date some guy who only did it to get paid?"

"Well, technically he didn't get paid just to date her. He also got paid to...y'know, _not_ touch her. Jasper's not the fastest broom in the shed and I figured eventually she'd get bored, dump him, and _viola_! We're friends again."

"This one's a bit on the slow side as well," Fred chimed in between chuckles, his face nearly as red as his hair.

He shut up when I shot him the death stare, though I had to commend him. At least _one_ of the Griffyndor boys wasn't a total moron.

"You better call this whole thing off or, I swear, I'll tell Ade _everything,_" I threatened. "And if that happens, you'll be lucky to have her even hex you in the halls."

"Okay, okay," James relented. "I'll tell Jasper to let her down gently…but you gotta promise you won't tell her, Rose."

I was a little hesitant to respond in his favor. What James had done was awful but, I would also hate for Ade to find out that Jasper was only dating her because James had paid him...and in wizard cards, no less. It would crush her.

I was too distracted by James' idiocy to get into the festivities. So, when Uncle George passed around his new product - Maroon Mittens - I didn't think twice about placing one on my left hand. Of course, when I took off the blasted thing my hand was completely- you guessed it- _maroon_.

"Don't worry love, it'll fade in 1-2 weeks," Uncle George promised.

As if that could make me feel any better. Now I was going to Ade's New Year's party with a maroon hand. _Great..._

Everyone in the room thought this was hilarious, so I decided to leave my moronic family and go hunt down Aunt Angelina. Perhaps she could give me some answers and make this day a little less horrific.

I found her with Victoire up in one of the bedrooms. The door was open, so I didn't feel like I was intruding. That is, until I saw Victoire's red rimmed eyes and tear stained face.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," I stuttered as I backed out of the room.

Victoire looked up at me with snot running down her perfect face. It's amazing how some people can still manage to look gorgeous even when they were a wreck.

"No, Rose, it's okay." She wiped the snot from her upper lip with a sleeve and stood up from her spot next to our aunt. "Thanks Ange, I really appreciate your help." She tossed a wan smile in my direction as she swept out of the room.

Aunt Angelina brushed off the front of her trousers as she rose from the bed. "Anytime Vic."

I stood there, looking back and forth between the open doorway and my Aunt, extremely curious about what had just gone on (I was sure it had something to do with our dear Teddy Lupin). Instead, I focused on what I'd come to talk to Ange about.

"Aunt Ange?" I asked before she was able to leave the room as well.

"Yes?" She quirked a brow in question.

"I was wondering if we could, y'know, talk about something," I fidgeted, moving over to Victoire's vacant seat on the bed.

Aunt Ange sat back down. "Sure, I seem to be all the rage tonight."

There was no bitterness in her tone and her smile assured me that she did not mind in the least. Even still, I tugged on the hem of my jumper, unsure of where to begin. It was a rather awkward question and I didn't know if I even wanted to know the answer or not.

"Rose?" She rubbed my shoulder in a calming way. "What is it?"

"Well, you see…mum and dad got into a pretty big fight the other night..." I trailed off, not certain where I was going with this.

"No news there," she replied. "Don't worry Rose, they've always been fighters- I assure you they love each other very much."

"No, no. I know…that's not it exactly."

"Oh? Okay, what is _it_?" She turned to face me, her eyes wrinkling at the corners in curiosity.

"Well, it's more what they were fighting about."

"Which was..." Aunt Ange pressed.

Why couldn't I spit it out?

"Um, I might have overheard them say something about my mum and…Mr. Malfoy." I snuck a peek at Aunt Ange from the corner of my eyes.

She stiffened but recovered quickly. "Are you sure you shouldn't just ask them about this?"

"They wouldn't tell me. I had to sneak close enough to even hear any of it. Please, you have to tell me," I begged. "You see, I'm kind of friends with Mr. Malfoy's son, and well, I just...I just need to know, that's all."

"All right, but you didn't hear it from me, okay?"

I nodded my fervent assent.

"Did your parents ever tell you that your dad was kidnapped?"

At first, I shook my head but then I remembered something of that ilk and began to nod. I had a vague recollection of something like that happening but with my parents' many hero tales, it was hard to keep track.

"About a year after your parent's started dating, your dad went missing. Your mum was a complete and utter wreck, and understandably so."

I nodded again, her cue to continue.

"And after a while she built a friendship with Mr. Malfoy," she explained. "Your mum was assigned as his Magical Corrections Officer and eventually they became...more than friends."

I grimaced, not wanting to picture what Aunt Ange could mean.

"They got married..."

"Wai...What? My mum was married to Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, they were married. She waited for your father for three years but lost hope. Draco treated her well, at least that's what she always told us." She leaned forward in conspiracy. "Between you and me, I always thought he was a prat. But anyway, when he asked, your mum said yes. They were married for less than a year."

"Well what happened? I mean who broke it off with whom? And why?" My questions shout out one after the other while, inside, I tried to wrap my head around the disturbing idea of my mum and Mr. Malfoy as husband and wife.

"Your dad came back, that's what happened," Aunt Ange replied. "They tried to deny their feelings but, love like that...it doesn't fade away. Draco couldn't take it so, he left and rain straight into the arms of that Greengrass girl. Your mum and dad got back together and have lived happily ever after ever since." She winked at me.

I sat there, absorbing all the new information. I couldn't believe my mum had been married to someone other than my dad…and not just any someone- to Mr. Malfoy! I mean, I'd heard stories but neither my parents nor Uncle Harry would ever expound on any of Mr. Malfoy's activities during the war. How could my mum fall for a guy like that? He was a Death Eater! A bad guy! And my mum...she was my mum! Good hearted Hermione Weasley (nee Granger)- top of her class, shoe in for the next Minister of Magic! _She_ was married to a former Death Eater?

It was too hard to believe.

"You okay Rosie?" Aunt Ange pulled me from my torrid thoughts.

I blinked a couple of times letting my eyes come back into focus. "Yeah, I think so."

"Look, Malfoy is a git but he loved your mum, there was no real question about that," she declared. "People change, people grow- not that I ever saw it- but your mum is smart. She would never have been with someone who wasn't a decent bloke. She was distraught over your dad and Mr. Malfoy proved a sturdy shoulder. She isn't the first woman to accept that as love, and she certainly won't be the last."

Aunt Ange got up from the bed and brushed the top of my head with her hand, closing the door behind her as she left.

I decided to stay in the room a bit longer. No point in going downstairs just now. I didn't think I could wipe the astonishment off my face, anyhow. Of course, that would lead to my mum pestering me with questions and, well, I was pretty sure I couldn't hold my tongue. Not yet, at least. No, I would give myself time to process. Yeah, processing is good.

Time…that was all I needed.

I don't really remember the rest of Christmas. Once we got back home, I spent most of my time in private contemplation. I guess I was still processing what I had learned. I mean it's not every day that you find out your mum was not only married before your dad, but that it had been to the father of the boy that you sort of, maybe had a little bit of a crush on.

Not that it mattered, because I was off blokes- totally and completely bloke free. It sounded a lot more pathetic than it had when I first made my resolution but, it didn't matter because I was sticking to it. Especially now that I knew my mum had been…_coital_ with Scorpius' father. Ugh! It was just icky. Besides, I thought my dad might die of a heart attack if anything were to happen between Scorpius and me. Me and Scorpius...oh whatever, since when did my thoughts need to be grammatically correct?

Not that Scorpius was even interested, that is, if _I_ were interested. There is no way of knowing that those maybe feelings would be returned. And even if they were…well, _whatever_! It didn't matter because it wasn't going to happen.

_'Thwak_!"

"Ow!" I rubbed the back of my head where my brother had hit me. "What the hell was that for?"

Hugo shrugged, opening into a new bag of crisps. "Just making sure you're still in there."

"Well I am, thank you very much."

He grinned. "Couldn't be sure- there's been a bit of drool hanging from the corner of your mouth for the last fifteen minutes," he drawled. "Thought you might have gone into a coma."

Cheeky git!

"So what gives? You're never this quiet."

I thought about whether I should answer him. Was it okay to tell Hugo? I mean it isn't really my place, right? Oh, sod it. Misery loves company, and I was pretty damn close to miserable.

Turning towards my brother, I gave him a pointed look. "Did you know mum had been married before dad?"

"Yeah, so?" Hugo popped a crisp into his mouth.

My jaw wagged in amazement. I was not really sure how to wrap my head around the fact that my little brother, _Hugo,_ knew about this before I did! And the little bastard didn't think to tell me!

"To Mr. Malfoy?"

"Uh-Huh."

Now it was my turn to whack him on the head, and boy did I get him good. "How could you know and not tell me, you wanker?" I continued to pummel him with each word, further emphasizing my irritation.

Hugo put his hands up and leapt down the couch. "Damn-it woman, control yourself! I didn't tell you because I didn't think it mattered. Who cares what mum did before she married dad? It's not like it means anything. I mean we aren't _related_ to the Malfoy's in anyway, so I repeat, _who cares_."

I stopped attacking Hugo but only to push the hair out of my face. Then I resumed my assault.

"I bleeding well care, you git! I have to live with Malfoy in the dorms and you never thought it would matter that our parents were once..._ intimate_?"

The word tasted horrible on my tongue.

"Ew, Rose. No need to get all graphic!" Hugo looked a bit green. "As far as I'm concerned, _mum and dad_ aren't even intimate with each other. Now stop attacking me and give me back my crisps!"

I did stop this time…but only because I was out of breath.

"How long have you known?" I asked between gasps.

"First year," he admitted. "I heard dad say something to Uncle Harry about it at the train station when he thought I wasn't listening. He didn't like the way Malfoy Senior was looking at mum."

"I just don't understand why they never felt the need to tell us. I mean that's a pretty big deal- mum being married before and all."

"I guess because it is really none of our business. Besides, it all turned out for the best. Mum divorced him, married dad, and here we are."

I hated to admit it but, Hugo _did_ have a point. What did it matter that once upon a time my mum and Scorpius' dad were together? I guess I can't really expect mum to have never been with anyone other than dad. Okay, so I would no longer freak out about this. It does not matter. Not even a little bit. Scorpius and I were friends, and this bit of news was of no importance. 

**A/N: So I know, there was no Scorpius in this chapter, but the next one will make up for that, I swear. As it is from Scorpius' POV! Yay! **

**But what did you think anyway? I know it was mostly filler, but Rose needed a little more information. **

**What did you think of James' plan? What a moron.**

**Thanks of course to all of you readers and reviewers. Also you must thank my Beta as she rocked this chapter out. Thanks dracosgem for taking on my punctuation, it is enough to give anyone a headache. **


	17. Scorpius' New Years Eve Dissapointment

My reflection stared back at me, mocking as ever. I straightened my black bow tie for what must've been the fortieth time. Tonight was no big deal- just another stuffy party mother forced me to attend. I wish she would spend half as much time trying to convince father to come than she did working her wiles on me.

Not that she had to work very hard for this particular event.

It was enough that Bertram's parents were throwing the little soirée but, add to it, a certain red head's attendance and there was no chance of my not going. Of course, I couldn't let mother know that- it really was exhausting putting on the old song and dance for her.

As it was, I couldn't get my hopes up about Rose. Years of disappointment had already taught me not to, though I'd certainly changed since my innocent, third year days. Honestly, I was content with just spending time with her- anything after that was a bonus. Not that there would be anything after that. Well, maybe some talking…and I might be able to get a dance. No, I wouldn't hold my breath, especially now that Seven was back on the market and would likely be in attendance. It really is too bad Uncle Ernie feels the need to do business with that Deciles wanker…

"Scorpius!" Mother's dulcet tones rang through the manner. "Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

Not bloody likely, we were sure to be the first one's there! Mother always liked getting places early, that way she could size everyone up as they walked through the door. I also thought a lot of it had to do with being announced without father- not that she would _ever_ admit to it.

So, I didn't deign to respond. Instead, I walked through the long hallway and down the marble staircase to the front hall of our prestigious home. Mother stood with her back to me, wiping her fingers across the front of her teeth as she scrutinized her reflection in the hall mirror.

She turned as I appeared behind her, her face fixed in a tight smile. "Don't you look nice."

"Thanks." I adjusted my bow tie again.

Mother stood there expectantly.

"Oh, er…you look stunning as well mother."

"Yes, well," she grabbed my arm, "we should be off- don't want to be late for the festivities."

I escorted us out of the manor and onto the lawn where we would apparate to Aunt Daphne's. We passed father on our way- he sat in the library reading and did not even bother to look up or say good bye.

Aunt Daphne's home was ablaze with fairy lights, floating lanterns, and torches that hung all along the front of the house. As expected, no one was there yet and our footsteps fell hollowly on the large, front porch. The door opened before we could even knock and a little elf clad in a clean white dress led us into the foyer. We were greeted by Aunt Daphne and Bertram, apparently Uncle Ernie was off dealing with the musicians and Ade was still getting ready.

The party was being held in the grand ballroom at the back of the manor. It was fitted up with a large Christmas tree that sparkled in shades of silver and gold. Everything looked very tasteful- all Aunt Daphne's doing, I was sure.

Making a beeline for the punch bowl- anything to keep myself occupied- I glanced at my pocket watch. Only twenty minutes or so before anyone normal would arrive.

Okay, so I know I ridicule mother for her obsessive need to be 'on time' but, she _might _be on to something…after all, watching Thadius' oaf friend trip over his own feet while entering the ballroom was definitely satisfying. It was also quite fun to watch Mr. Nott adjust his toupee when he thought no one was looking. The best, though, was when _she _entered the room. I think my heart stopped beating for a couple of minutes there- I had _never_ seen black dress robes look anything like that before.

Standing back against a pillar, I used my covert position to watch her a little longer. Regardless of what she says, I am _not_ a stalker. I just like to observe. It's less painful.

"Hey Scorpius, what are you looking at?"

If I weren't so practiced in not showing surprise – a skill I'd mastered from years of monitoring father - I would probably have pissed myself. Instead, I turned towards Bertram and gave him a wry smile. "Oh, nothing…just old Mr. Nott trying to keep his toupee from sliding off to the left."

"Yeah, who does he think he's fooling?"

Bertram led me away from my secluded spot behind the punch bowl and we made our way over to _her._ She was surrounded by that Ravenclaw cousin of hers _and_ that Ravenclaw cousin of mine.

"Look who I found sulking by the punch." Bertram broke in.

The girls stopped talking and I raised a brow. There had definitely been an interesting conversation going on before we walked up. I wonder what it was…

"I prefer to call it observing random oddities." I smirked and caught _her _eye. Rose blushed, smiled back, and then quickly turned away. Weird, I had never elicited that reaction before.

The room started filling up quickly and I recognized a number of our fellow Hogwartians among friends and enemies of my parents, or rather, enemies of father. I didn't think mother had any _true_ enemies. I'm sure there were people who didn't like her but, no actual _foes_.

Six and Seven came into the room followed shortly by One, Three and Four. Four gave me a nod, which I returned. Other than Six, I was pretty sure Four was the only Deciles I could stand, though that Ten was turning out to be a pretty okay kid.

But it was still early.

By half past nine, the party was in full swing. People were everywhere- eating from the buffet, drinking from the copious bar and spiked punch bowl, dancing all around the glittering room… Truth be told, it was getting rather hot, not to mention loud and annoying. I much preferred a small, intimate gathering as opposed to the grandiose soirée. It was always about what someone was wearing, who they were talking to, or more likely who they were talking about. It could get pretty tiresome.

The only light at the end of the tunnel was Rose. Granted, other than our introductory conversation, I'd hardly had the chance to talk to her. She was scooped up by a gaggle of Weasley's shortly thereafter, all who, for some inane reason, needed her undivided attention.

To be quite honest, I thought most of her family was rather mental. Her cousin Albus wasn't too terrible, when he wasn't going on about the latest gossip, that is. I don't think the bloke even realized how much he sounded like a tweenage girl. Then there was his older brother who, as far as I could tell, was utterly useless. James Potter was a tosser squared. Anyone with eyes could see that he was mad for my cousin Adrianna but, as was typical with prats like him, he did nothing about it. If the poor bastard took the time, he'd see that Ade is deranged for him, too. Circe only knows why…

Rose's other cousin, Dominique, was quite possibly the worst influence, _ever_. She was always dating some new bloke or three and I wished there was some way to convince Rose that that cousin of hers was no good. We didn't need any of Dominique's romantic ideas drifting into her cousin's innocent head.

The list could go on and on, as it always did where the Weasley's were concerned. But I decided not to occupy my thoughts with them any longer. Besides, they all seemed to be on their best behavior tonight…not that that was saying much.

"Sulking again?"

_Circe, can't a man just sit and drink some punch in peace?_

"No, Bertie. Not sulking, just observing." Ha! That got to him. I really loved the sour look on Bertram's face whenever someone dared shorten his name. Of course, the resulting punch didn't feel too good.

I rubbed my left bicep with care. "No need to get your knickers in a twist."

He scowled but it segued to a smile when I charmed him with my own dapper grin.

"So…who are you observing, anyway?"

"I was watching that Weasley girl flirt with Oliver Wood. Hey, don't you fancy her?" I smirked and got punched in the arm again. Merlin, for a puny prefect he certainly has one hell of a jab...

"I do _not_ fancy Dominique. I think she's nice, is all."

"She's nice all right. There doesn't seem to be a bloke she _won't_ be nice to."

"That's not true!" Bertram argued, but with no real feeling behind it. "Anyway, what do you care who she's nice to? Could it be that you've taken a shine to her yourself?"

Silly Bertram, always trying to find out who I'm interested in… If the poor sod only knew, hell, I'd never hear the end of it!

"You're right. I always thought I'd look good in a harem," I teased. "No, I think I'll pass on the effervescent Miss Dominique. Besides, who can compete with keeper extraordinaire, Oliver Wood? I hear he just got a divorce from his third wife."

"Shut up." Bertram mumbled, looking rather cross. Woops, that wasn't my intention.

"Sorry mate. I'm sure she's not after Wood. She's probably just being friendly."

Bertram shook his head, "S'alright, I don't care…really." Though, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me.

I patted the poor sod on the back and decided he would best be left to his own misery. As it was, I had misplaced Rose.

I found her by the Christmas tree. She was talking to Six and thankfully no other Weasley's were present. I decided it was an opportune moment to join them, perhaps even get a dance with her.

"I can't believe he said that!" Rose said as I approached.

"I know, now what am I supposed to do?" Six whined. "It's not like I can jump for joy at a request like that! But, then again…"

They both took notice of me at the same time and fell silent.

"Now girls, you can tell ol' Scorpius what happened, you know. I can probably tell you what to do." Circe, I sounded like a cheeky git.

Six blushed but Rose spoke up. "It's Gordie. He's gone and asked our little Sixers out."

"Well that's good right? Isn't that what you've wanted all year?" Did girls really have to make such a big deal out of everything?

"It's not that he asked her, it was the way he did it. He said, and I quote. 'S'bout time you and I got together. I mean, there aren't really any other eligible girls left.'"

"Ouch." I grimaced. Why in the world would this girl be head over heels for such a blatant tosser?

"Exactly- not the proposition every girl dreams of."

Six was still blushing, only now she had tears in her eyes.

"Well it's obvious what you should do."

She looked up at me in expectation. How did she not already know the answer? It was like talking to a six year old! Ha! Now that's funny. You know, 'cause her name is Six and…oh never mind, you get it.

"Turn him down," I stated.

"Really?" Her voice was small and hesitant. "You think I should?"

"Of course I do," I shot back, "unless you want to be a doormat for this jerk." How the hell did I get stuck giving women advice? My irritation faded when Rose smiled at me.

"But what if he never asks me out again?"

"Listen, Six, you're a smart, attractive girl. If this joker can't see that then he isn't worth dating. And if he's going to ask you out in such an asinine way, the only answer any self respecting person should give is 'NO'," I replied in a pointed tone. "Now, if he's worth his salt he'll realize what an ass he's made of himself and correct his position and offer. Otherwise, you'll just have to forget the loser and start looking elsewhere. In my opinion, you're much better off with a Slytherin anyway."

"Any particular Slytherin in mind?" Rose interjected, her face contorted by a look I had never seen before. Was it anger? No, I've definitely seen angry. Anyway, why in the world would she be angry at me? I just gave her friend extremely sound advice.

I shook my head, gaping at her in bewilderment. "No, but I'm sure she wouldn't have to look _too_ far."

"Oh, right. I see. Perhaps I should leave you two alone then, shall I?" Spinning around, Rose whipped towards the veranda.

Was I going mental, or did she just assume that I was hitting on her best friend? And then…she got mad about it. Was that even possible? I stood there in stunned astonishment as the girl I adored walked away. It took me a minute to get my voice back and my feet moving.

"Sorry Six, I wasn't implying that I…I mean you're sweet and all, but I…"

Six smiled at me and started looking around the room, probably to find the wanker. Women never learn. I left her to search for her knight in rusted armor while I followed Rose out onto the veranda. It took a moment to find her in the crush of people outside. Once I spotted her wavy red hair, I made a beeline straight for it, oblivious to the trod on feet I left in my wake.

Grabbing her by the arm, I twirled her around to face me. Crap! It wasn't Rose- it was one of her cousins. Shite…

"Sorry," I muttered, turning away to recommence my search.

"Gonna hit on all my cousins now too?" Her voice rang out behind me.

"Wha- No. I wasn't hitting on Six, ya' know."

"Sure sounded like it to me," she mumbled with a look of…was that relief?

"Well, you obviously need a good hearing charm," I ribbed. "Besides, what would it matter if I were? I'm a free agent and so is she, from what I gather."

"It doesn't, I suppose." Rose shrugged. "I just don't think she needs any more boy drama and the idea of you hitting on her while she's vulnerable. Well, it made me a bit sick."

Crap…I had come to the wrong conclusion again. See, that's what happens when I get my hopes up. I really should know better by now.

"Ah, well…I wasn't," I assured her. Had to keep a cool attitude, couldn't let Rose know that my hopes were dashed.

She looked at me skeptically but nodded.

"Nice to see you're no longer avoiding me." I smirked, knowing full well that a blush would ensue. Sure enough, as soon as the words left my lips, Rose's cheeks turned a nice rose red. I really loved making her color.

"I wasn't…" she began.

"Yes you were, but don't worry, I forgive you." I plastered on my impish grin that always got a rise out of her. She really did look bleeding terrific.

"Prat!" She shoved my arm playfully. It took all of my will power not to grab her hand.

Thankfully, I had a lot of will power.

I changed the subject and we bantered for a while about the party. It was idle chatter and I hardly focused on the content. My mind was otherwise occupied, watching how she worried the left corner of her lip, how the pink in her cheeks looked against the freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks, or how her fingers kept itching to get out of the gloves she was wearing.

"Why not take them off?" I asked after watching her fidget with them for the tenth time.

"Take what off?" She looked scandalized.

I chuckled at her expression. "Your gloves, obviously…you _are_ a dirty little bird, aren't you Rose?"

She turned even redder. You'd think I had asked her to take off her dress robes or something.

"I can't."

"You can't?"

"No, I can't." Her voice was defiant, as if I had issued a challenge.

I held my hands up in submission. "Okay, you can't. Mind if I ask why?"

"Promise not to tell?" she whispered after thinking it over a bit.

She was leaning forward and her breath tickled my skin. The hairs on my neck stood on end and I swallowed…_hard_.

"I promise," I managed to choke out.

She removed the glove slowly on her left hand and revealed… Was that a maroon hand?

"What in blazes?"

"I know. It's dreadful," she admitted. "Uncle George tricked me over Christmas to try on one of his new products. I was preoccupied and wasn't thinking and put this damned glove on my hand. I can't get the bleeding stain to come off."

I couldn't help it- I let out a loud laugh.

She worked the glove back onto her hand. "Not Funny," Rose griped, shoving my shoulder once more.

I didn't stop myself this time- I grabbed for her hand. She blinked up at me in question. Think Scorpius, _think_.

"Dance?" I asked, hoping to sound nonchalant.

Rose hesitated for just a moment then nodded her assent. I led her onto the dance floor and curled a hand around her waist. The other laced through her gloved fingers and I tugged her forward. Sweet Circe, did she smell good.

We coasted across the floor. Well, I coasted and Rose stumbled, stepping on my feet a few times in the process. It was the best dance of my life. Eventually, she seemed to pick up the steps and we flew around the room. Rose's color was up and a smile lit her face, a smile I hadn't seen all year and, certainly not one she'd ever directed at me.

We danced four more songs before staggering off the floor, exhausted. Breathless, I led Rose out onto the veranda, my hand still clutching hers. I hoped she wouldn't pull away. I looked around- besides a couple on the far end, the veranda was empty.

"That…" she paused to breathe, "was wonderful! Where did you learn to dance like that?"

"Mother has had me taking lessons since I was four." I sent up a silent 'thank you' for all the hours of torment. They were well worth it, just for the half hour spent with Rose in my arms.

I stood facing her and watched the tiny beads of sweat trickle across her fore head. "Sounds dreadful…"

I laughed. "It was."

A stray curl fell into her eyes. Without thinking I brushed it aside, a motion that brought me closer to her. I could feel the heat radiating off of her and it drew me in. Sooner than I would have thought, we were nose to nose. I could feel her breath on my lips and my mind was reeling. Was this really happening to me? Was I really about to kiss Rose? I would only have to bend my head ever so slightly and our lips would touch. Holding still for a moment, I waited to see if she pulled away. She didn't- her eyes were locked firmly on mine, wide in surprised anticipation. I leaned forward to close the gap between us.

"Hey! There you are!"

_FUCK_! Rose sprung away from me as if I were made of fire.

"_Heeey…_" She stretched it out in an innocent fashion, turning away from me with a casual smile. Matching her expression, I tried to brush off Six's poorly timed not mention, extremely rude, interruption.

"What are you guys doing out here?" she asked in a naive voice.

"I was just about to get us some punch," I replied, taking a step away from Rose. "Would you like some?"

"Sure! Thanks." Six's cheerful voice grated on my nerves.

I looked over at Rose and she turned her head away from me.

Walking through the crowd, my head was full of thoughts, thoughts centering on what had almost happened. In fact, I was so preoccupied I wasn't paying attention to anything or anyone. That is, until I passed a column and heard an unfamiliar voice speak up. "Did you see Draco's son dancing with that dirty half-blood? Good thing _he's_ not here to see that."

Incensed, I was about to address the person with some rather choice words when a more familiar voice answered. "Didn't you know Millie? Draco was married to that chit's mother."

I stopped in my tracks. _What_?

"You're kidding! Draco married that Granger girl?" The simpering voice replied. "Oh, Pansy, how could you have let that happen?"

"Millie, trust me, I tried to talk him out of it. You know how Draco can be. You left after the war, so you didn't see how much he'd changed. But I'm telling you Millie, marrying that Granger really did a number on him."

"So what happened? How did he get out of it?"

"You won't believe this but, _she's_ the one who left him. Went back to her old boyfriend Ronald Weasley and never looked back," Pansy explained. "Broke poor Draco's heart and that's how Astoria was able to hook him. Then she went and got herself knocked up so he'd have to marry her. Otherwise…well, let's just say that Mr. VanStrauss might have had a run for his money."

"Oh, Pansy you are bad! But how could she get away with that? Leaving Draco, the poor sod. I suppose that's what he gets for getting involved with a mudblood. At least he learned his lesson. Too bad his son doesn't seem to have done the same."

"Oh, I'm sure Astoria will nip that in the bud."

I didn't hang around to listen any more. Now, my head was really spinning- Father had married Rose's mother? Worse, he had only married _my_ mother because she'd gotten pregnant. No wonder he was always so morose. He never really loved my mother and was obviously pining after Mrs. Weasley.

I wondered if Rose knew about this. If not, should I tell her? Or would that ruin any possibility for us? Were 'we' even a possibility? It seemed like we were…well, at least before we were interrupted.

When I got to the punch bowl, I mindlessly poured three glasses. I could hear people chattering around me- laughter, excitement- but it all paled to what I'd just overheard. I had to talk to Rose- whatever came of it… Well, it was better to know now before anything…happened.

I threaded through the crowd, my stomach tied in knots. As I made my way towards the veranda doors, I ran into Six and handed her the punch I had poured for her. "Is Rose still out there?" I nodded towards the open French doors.

"Yes, but I don't think you should…"

I kept walking, unconcerned with what she had to say. I stepped out onto the veranda and stopped dead. Rose was out there all right…

In the arms of Seven.

I didn't wait for her to spot me- I turned tail and headed straight for the _real_ bar.

Like her mother before her, Rose had ditched a Malfoy for an old flame. Clearly, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I really shouldn't expect anything less. It was, after all, my life…

Nothing a bottle of Ogden's wouldn't fix right up- at least for tonight.

**A/N: So what did you think? Do you hate me? What about Seven? Or maybe Rose? How about knowing who Hollace's mother is? **

**And to picatsso – congratulations on getting your masters. I know this is a little later than I had hoped, but this chapter is dedicated to you none the less. **

**Thanks as always to you wonderful readers and reviewers. And especially to dracosgem for being my ever awesome beta, who had this done way before I had time to post it. Thanks Red.**


	18. New Years Eve on the Flip Side

Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! He's going to kiss me! What do I do?

_Rose! You have given up all boys. You need to step back _right now_!_

_**Don't you dare! So what if you promised yourself no boys. Just look at those eyes! You can't say 'no' to **_**those**_** eyes.**_

_Oh yes you can._

_**And those lips… **_

"Hey! There you are!"

Thank Merlin! The voices in my head stopped arguing and I sprung away from Scorpius in confused relief.

"_Heeey_," I said, glancing at my best friend and hoping she didn't catch the anxiety in my voice.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Six asked, completely clueless of what she walked in on.

"I was just about to get us some punch," Scorpius said. He took a step away and I could feel the loss of heat as his body receded. "Would you like some?"

"Sure! Thanks," Six chirped in appreciation.

Scorpius looked at me before he slipped inside but I couldn't handle those piercing eyes. I turned away from him like a coward.

Six's heels clacked on the marble floor as she stepped in front of me. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Wha-, no, of course not." I looked at her, a smile plastered on my face.

"If you say so..."

Maybe Six wasn't as clueless as I thought.

"So what's up?" I asked, desperately needing a change of subject.

"Well, actually, I thought I'd warn you that Seven is looking for you."

Thank Merlin for the interruption. I can only imagine the drama that would ensue should Seven walk in on Scorpius and I doing…well, whatever it was we were doing.

"Thanks for that."

"What're friends for, right?" Six smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

Grateful, I grinned in return.

"Hello ladies." Seven's voice sliced through the cool night air and I shivered involuntarily. "Six, I think Gordie is looking for you."

She gave me the 'do you want me to stay?' look and I answered with the 'it's okay, you can go' nod.

Six left and I turned towards the back garden. There were some lovely rose bushes lining the walkway and I stared at them, feeling awkward. Seven closed the distance between us and I stiffened in response.

"Nice party," he said, stepping up beside me.

"Yeah." _Why can't he just leave?_

"The decorations are really…nice."

"Uh-huh." _Could this be any more uncomfortable?_

"Rose…" Seven began, "can you at least look at me?"

Dread filled my body as I turned slowly towards him.

"Look, Rosie…" he said, his face stricken. "I'm sorry."

I nodded mechanically. "Okay." It's what I had wanted to hear for the past four months but tonight the words fell coldly on my ears.

"Okay? C'mon Rose. Can't you say something more than that? I _am _apologizing here."

I felt the heat creeping up my neck as anger replaced indifference. "What exactly are you apologizing _for_?" I poked his shoulder with a stiff finger. "Is it for breaking up with me? Or for treating me like I was at fault afterwards? Or perhaps it's for your dating Gloria only a couple weeks after we broke up. Or-"

"Alright, alright! I get it, okay?" Seven cut in, grabbing my hands to keep me from bruising him any further. He held them both at my sides and looked me dead in the eye. "I'm sorry for everything- all of it Rosie!" His expression was intense and I saw the "old Seven" in his eyes. The one I had fallen in love with, the one I thought would be mine forever.

"Why?" I whispered, biting my lower lip to keep from crying. "I just want to know why you did it, Seven."

"Because I'm a moron."

I shot him a withering glare and he fidgeted in discomfort.

"No, really. It all started this summer when we got our O.W.L. results."

Confused, my expression softened.

"I only got an Acceptable in Potions and Arithmancy," he admitted, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. "My parents were _not_ pleased. Then, when I got your owl and saw what you'd gotten, well, I felt like an idiot. We'd studied together the whole year and you did so much better than me. I started to hate you for being so good at everything."

"I am not…"

"Please, let me finish," he broke in. "I blamed you or, I don't know. I just know that I hate feeling stupid and that's how you made me feel. I also hated the idea of you being better than me and then I met Gloria during summer holiday and she was so, well…_not_ you. She was light, definitely not as smart as me."

"So you were with her when we were still together?" I accused. Even though I would never admit it, this hit me hard.

"No, no of course not. It's just that spending all that time with her made me think it would be easier being with her."

"And was it?" I had to know, even if the answer made me sick.

"At first, yeah," he confessed. "But then it wasn't. She was light, all right. I couldn't hold any sort of meaningful conversation with her. I couldn't talk to her like I talked to you. I couldn't spend all day studying with her. To top it all off she was such a nag, always trying to get me to do one thing or another. I hated it and I missed _you_."

He took a step towards me and, like moments before with Scorpius, I froze up. I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

_Stall!_ The voice in my head shouted.

"How did you get into potions with only an Acceptable?" I asked, trying to distract him.

Seven's brow furrowed. "Dad was able to talk old Pucey into letting me into N.E.W.T. potions as long as I took extra lessons with him," he replied, looking squeamish. "But there was no talking Vector into anything."

I could tell Seven was ashamed. Now I understood why he was always in Potions before class started. How embarrassing! He must have noticed the pity on my face because his expression hardened. I wiped off my sympathetic frown and he blew out a sigh.

"Look, I know I don't deserve it but, I would love…" He paused and inched towards me, his face hopeful. I looked down, knowing that if I met his dark eyes I'd never be able to resist him. "I would love it if you would give me a second chance." He lifted my chin with a finger and I couldn't help it- I looked.

To my relief, I discovered his eyes did not captivate me the way they had before. We stood there for a while, Seven looking down at me in expectation and me unsure of what to say. I wanted us to be friends- there were still some residual feelings there- but I didn't want to get back together…at least, I didn't think I did. Well, maybe… Oh, I don't know!

"What do you think?' he pressed.

"I think…" I bit my lip. What _did_ I think? "I think that I need some time to process all of this, if that's okay."

He nodded in acceptance but I could see the disappointment on his face. I felt a tiny pang of guilt and my smarter half hauled off and slapped me. At least I wasn't making any snap decisions. I really needed to think about this. On the one hand, Seven was the one I'd been pining after but, what about all the pain he'd caused? There was also the whole thing with Scorpius. I mean we almost… And then there was my 'no boy' rule, which still sounded pretty good. I was so confused!

Regardless, I couldn't help but give Seven a hug. The lost puppy dog look always did me in. He held me tight and, I had to admit, it felt nice being in his arms again. He held me like that for what felt like ages but eventually I stepped back and gave him a small smile to reassure him…of what, I wasn't quite sure.

"So, I'll see you later then?" he asked.

"Later." I nodded and walked back inside. I needed to find Ade or Dom or Six or, anybody really. I though I might be going mad.

My wish came true right away. I found Ade in the middle of a huge row with James.

"…can't believe you! You are _done_ James Potter. Do not talk to me _ever again_." I heard Ade shout as I approached them. She was turned towards Jasper with her back to James.

My cousin stood there looking like a dolt. "But Ade, I was only trying to-"

"I don't want to hear it!" She whipped around to glare at him.

"But Rose said-" Oh no, he did _not_ just bring me into this mess!

"Rose knew too?" The fire in her eyes was one I'd never seen before. I began to step away from them, not wanting to get caught in the cross hairs, but Ade spotted me.

"You!" She stubbed a finger at me in fury. "You knew? You knew and you didn't tell me?" Ade's expression was a combination of anger and heartache.

Well crap. I knew I should have told her.

"I only just found out at Christmas. I told James to-"

"I don't care what you told James. It was me you should have been talking to."

I looked down at my shoes, feeling sheepish. She was right, of course. I could see Jasper hovering behind Ade, not wanting to get caught up in her wrath but also enjoying the show. Stupid, hot bastard!

"I'm sorry Ade, I should ha-"

"No, _I'm_ sorry Rose," she snapped. "Sorry that I ever thought that either of you Weasley's were my friends!" Tears were shining in Adrianna's eyes and it made me feel even worse. I had helped do this to her.

"Hey I'm a Pott-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP JAMES! I MEAN IT, NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN!"

With that, Ade spun on her heel, grabbed Jasper, and left us standing there with our mouths hanging open.

Well shite!

"What in the world just happened?"

I shot a pointed look at James but he just stood there gaping at the spot where Ade had been standing just seconds before. Waving a hand in front of his face I tried to snap him out of it. It was no use- the poor sod was in shock. I decided it best to take James somewhere out of the way- causing another scene would be inappropriate. I led him up the stairs to find a vacant bedroom. James came along easily enough but kept staring back at the spot where Ade had yelled at him. At one point I pulled him in one direction and his head swiveled in the opposite, causing him to trip on the first couple of steps. Smacking him across the face (which felt damn good), I managed to get him to pay attention to where he was going.

Hey, progress is progress right?

I found an empty bedroom at the end of the hallway and pushed James inside. I tried to pull him out of his comatose state, shaking his shoulder and snapping my fingers in front of his face. It took a while but I finally managed to get him to focus. I think he may even have understood half of what I was saying, which consisted of me berating him and telling him to wake up.

"What am I going to do?" James moaned after half an hour.

I shrugged, not even sure what _I_ was going to do. Obviously I would talk to Ade when she calmed down. I knew she would forgive me. She had to, right? We were way too close for her to let a little thing like this come between us. I was just trying to protect her. She would see that in the end…I hoped.

"How did this all come out in the first place?" I asked, curious to hear the details.

James shook his head, looking positively hopeless. "I told Jasper the deal was off but he didn't want to listen. He said it didn't matter if I wanted to call it off he was going to continue to date Adrianna. Unfortunately, she overheard the whole conversation and, well, you got to the see the consequences."

"You stupid sod." I gave him a somewhat piteous look.

James gazed up at me with glassy eyes before slumping into a heap and bawling like a little girl. I surmised that it wasn't very nice to compare him to a girl when he was in such a state, but it was his own damn fault! I had very little sympathy for him, especially since he pulled me into the drama as well.

"I think I love her Rose," he sobbed.

"There, there." I patted his back, not really sure what to say. I mean, we all suspected that he was gone on Ade but I hadn't seen James cry since we were kids and Fred stole his toy quaffle.

I sat beside him for what felt like hours and when his tears finally subsided, he seemed to come back to himself…and really quite suddenly. James sat up, dried his eyes, gave me a nod, and strutted out of the room as if nothing had happened.

I watched him leave, completely dumbstruck. Tonight was insane, and it wasn't even… I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was two minutes til midnight. I was going to miss all the festivities but at this point I don't know that I even cared. I wasn't going to be kissing anyone tonight anyway. Maybe I should stay in here and think things over a little. My parent's weren't likely to leave anytime soon- Mum always liked to stay after and help Daphne with the clean up. This was the perfect opportunity to try and figure things out.

When I finally decided to leave the room, I was still unresolved about everything. It was well after midnight and I was relieved that I didn't have to pretend to smile and be merry for everyone else. As I closed my door, I noticed a stooped figure quietly exit a room a few doors ahead. Shoes in hand and robes askew, I froze, not wanting to alert them to my presence. It was clear this bloke was trying to sneak away from a person on the other side of that door. Poor girl. Getting ditched in the middle of the night was the shits.

I flattened myself against the door as the person stood up. Straight away, I recognized the pale blond hair of one Scorpius Malfoy. Walking on tiptoes, he slunk away from the door and down the stairs. I watched him go, my heart pounding in my chest.

Perhaps I misunderstood the situation. I mean, we had almost kissed just hours before! Or maybe I didn't know Scorpius the way I thought I did. Blowing out a heavy breath, I decided that I needed to know who was in that room. Call it a masochistic tendency. Just as quiet as Scorpius had been, I crept over to the door and turned the handle.

What I saw made my heart ache. I say 'what' because that's exactly what she is- a '_what'_. Sprawled on the bed, her blonde hair splayed over the pillow and her dress robes pushed up to her midsection, was none other than Hollace Van-Bitch-Face. I couldn't believe my eyes.

There was no way! I mean absolutely no bleeding way. Scorpius would never… but… Oh, bloody hell!

I felt something wet drip onto my hand and looked down to see a bead of water there. Glancing up at the ceiling, I wondered if the manor had suddenly sprung a leak. I quickly realized the liquid had not come from above. Wiping at my face, I discovered that the "leak" was me. I was _crying_. I was crying over Scorpius Malfoy.

This was officially the worst New Years Eve EVER!

**A/N: Some good news… I have written a lot these past few weeks so I am almost done... hopefully that will mean faster updates :)**

**So what did you think of the chapter from Rose's POV? And what about Scorpius and Hollace? Or James and Ade? **

**Thanks dracosgem for beta-ing this, you rock. **


	19. The Sport of Avoidance

For the first time in a long time I was not looking forward to my return to Hogwarts. I was avoiding Miles, Ade wasn't talking to me and had returned two of my letters unopened, I still hadn't made a decision about my feelings for Seven, and then there was Scorpius. I couldn't even begin to think about him. Discovering that he had been with the devil had hurt, though I really had no reason to feel that way. Technically, Scorpius was nothing to me but I'd kinda hoped that that might change at one point. There was no freaking way now! I would never, ever, _ever_ be sloppy seconds to the Van-Bitch-Face herself. Not happening. _Never_! Did I mention that it was _never_ going to happen?

In light of this secret betrayal, I was a little lost on how I should act around Scorpius when we returned to school. I mean, obviously I couldn't show him that I was upset but then, the idea of talking to him made me want to vomit. Not to mention, I was now on a bloody Quidditch team with him _and_ Miles. Crap, this term was going to suck! Couldn't I just stay home and learn from books or something? I mean how important are NEWT years anyway?

I decided to suggest the idea of home study to mum. It was a daft move on my part. I really shoulda gotten dad on board first. He would never refuse me! Then we could have teamed up against mum and convinced her that it was the right idea. Clearly all the drama in my life had sucked my brain dry. Hell, I couldn't pass my end of term exams at this rate!

It really was too bad that mum couldn't see reason. She said, and I quote, "You can't hide from your problems Rose. You have to face them head on and conquer them." Nice of her to say so, _she_ was a Gryffindor. _They_ are brave. Slytherins, on the other hand…well, let's just say…_not_ so _much_.

So, it was with great reluctance that I hauled my trunk into the boot of the car and headed to Kings Cross with my family. Hugo, the prat, couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to head back. Apparently, he'd had a grand ole time at the party and was now sporting a new girlfriend. He wouldn't tell me anything about her, only that she was an _older woman_- a 5th year. Great, now the guy thinks he's a super stud. Stupid Mr. Perfect!

The station was almost as busy as it was at the beginning of the school year. I glanced around the platform, looking for Ade. I wanted to try and corner her into talking to me but she was nowhere to be found. I did spot Miles, unfortunately, and I ducked behind a stack of trunks just in time. Peeking over the edge to see if he had gone, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. Jerking backwards, I looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Six. Phew, that was a close one!

"Who're you hiding from?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

I groaned. "The better question is who _aren't_ I hiding from?"

"Okay, I'll bite."

After making sure the coast was clear, I stood up and heaved a sigh. Where to begin? I was a little hesitant to disclose the Scorpius debacle. I mean, theoretically there wasn't anything to tell. Well, at least nothing that should make me want to avoid him. I decided to defer that conversation until later and started with her brother. Six and I hadn't gotten a chance to talk after New Years and she was behind in the times. Or, at least that's what I thought. Apparently Seven had opened his trap and spilled all the details. This was a new trait, something I believed he picked up from that big mouth, Gloria.

"So have you thought about it?" Six ventured.

"Yes."

"_And_?" She looked up at me in expectation.

"And I don't know yet. It's a lot to take in."

"Fair enough. So who else are you avoiding?"

"Miles."

"That's a given," she puffed, rolling her eyes. "You made it sound like you were avoiding everyone."

I almost gave in and told her about Scorpius but the train whistle blew. _Saved_!

We rushed aboard and tried to find a compartment. I peeked into each one, trying to find Ade, but I was suffering from rotten luck. We _did _manage to pass Miles' compartment and our eyes met briefly. I turned away like a spinning top and high tailed it to the next car. So, I'm a chicken…sue me. Loping through the corridor, I noticed Scorpius sitting with Bertram and Gates. Thankfully the bitch-face was not around.

"Um, Rose?" Six turned towards me with a look of apology.

"Yes?"

"See, the thing is… 'mgonnasitwithhimSevenandAl."

"Wha- Could you repeat that in English?"

She slowed down and repeated her sentence. "Gordie and me got together at the party and I'm going to sit with him, Seven and Al." At least she had the decency to grimace.

Great, now I had to sit with Seven or sit by myself. I was about to wallow in self pity when my brain suddenly engaged and I grabbed Six by the arm before she could open the compartment door. "Wait!" I hissed. "You and Gordie are together now?"

She gave me a sheepish smile. "Yes, we talked it all out at the party and he apologized for being such a prat," she admitted. "I'll tell you more about it tonight, I promise." Her face lit up as a wide grin split her features.

Right then and there, I decided to put my petty boy issues behind me. I would sit with my best friend and her new boyfriend, who also happens to be my friend, too. Oh yeah, and with my cousin, who is also a good friend. And with…Seven who was…something, anyway.

The scene was reminiscent of the start of the year. But this time Six and Gordie were all cuddly and sick-like and I was staring blankly out of the window while Seven contemplated what I would decide. That part was actually nice. Like a bit of revenge. Hah! Take that you big buffoon.

I tried to consider what I was going to do about Seven but my mind kept straying to Scorpius. I couldn't help but notice how manky he looked when I spotted him in his compartment. I don't think I'd had ever seen him looking so disheveled. I mean, it wasn't anything too terrible- just some dark circles under his eyes and his shirt wasn't neatly pressed… I wondered if he felt bad about what had happened with the evil demon spawn. Obviously he regretted it. He wouldn't have snuck out like that, otherwise. But maybe he was like, _really_ regretting it. Maybe he was thinking about our almost kiss and… _No_! I am not going to go there. He was not thinking about me at all! And I'm not going to think about him either- starting _NOW_!

As I gazed out the window, I noticed that the trees looked very pretty with all the snow on their branches. I loved snow, except for it being so cold. I wished that they could make warm snow. That would be amazing. If they could make it a little less wet, too. Now that would be _really_ amazing! I could remember one time after Quidditch practice, Scorpius and I- wait! Starting _NOW_!

The rest of the train ride went on like that; me thinking random thoughts that somehow led to Scorpius which, naturally led to me arguing with myself about not thinking of Scorpius. It was a vicious cycle. Seven tried to engage me in conversation a few times but I shrugged him off easily enough and Al was so busy telling stories about some muggle chit he'd charmed in the village, he didn't notice my lack of interest…or talking, for that matter. Six and Gordie were in their own little couple world. I was actually happy for her- sad for me- but glad that they had _finally_ gotten together. I did want to know how all this came about. The last I'd heard, he was propositioning her in a very ungentlemanly manner.

The train came to a halt much quicker than I had expected. Time really flies when you are unsuccessfully trying to avoid thinking about someone.

When I walked into the dorms I found Tabby reclined on her bed with a 3M Magazine on her lap (Magical Music Magazine). Hmm, I guess my addition of 'magazine' was redundant. Oh well.

"Hey, how was your break?" I asked and started unpacking my trunk. "Didn't you go to Italy?"

"There was a change in plans," she said dully, not bothering to look up from her magazine.

"So where did you go?" Six inquired.

"Nowhere," she clipped. "Da felt the need to spend his Christmas with some tart he met in Spain and, seeing as I'd rather suffer a Cruciatus than watch some bint try to impress him with her big boobs and little brains, I stayed here."

"You were here all alone?" Six looked up from her packing to give Tabs a piteous frown.

"No, there was a _delightful_ third year chit who stayed behind to entertain me," Tabby replied in a bored tone. "Did you know that the Gobstone Club plays truth or dare every third meeting? Apparently Nine has kissed almost every boy except the ickle firsties." The girl's inflection had not changed once during her little diatribe.

Six snorted and I bit my lip in amusement. Nine was the prissier of the Deciles children; very proper and a bit geeky. Who would've thought she'd be such a harlot?

At that point Van-Bitch-Face came in with her little shadow and all the mirth in Tabby's revelation was sucked out of me. I had always disliked Hollace but now it had surpassed simple loathing to extreme detestation. She was officially _the_ devil.

Six lifted her brow in question. I must have been scowling outright so I wiped the look off my face and I screwed on a neutral expression. Keeping my eyes down, I continued to unpack in silence.

"You missed an excellent party Joss," the devil simpered. "There were so many great looking men."

"What happened to Thad?" Tabby asked in a scornful voice.

Hollace gave Tabby a pitying smirk. "Thad is old news Tabitha, dear," she cooed. "I have moved on to bigger and better things."

It took all of my effort not to react. I knew exactly who 'bigger and better' was and I did not like it, not one little bit.

"Like that was hard given the comparison," Tabby murmured under her breath.

"What would you know about it Tabitha?" Hollace snapped. "You've been frigid since old Bertie left you."

She wore a wicked smirk that was just aching for a punch. For a moment I thought Tabby might make my dreams come true. Instead she just shrugged her shoulders, coughed 'Slag' into her hand, and continued reading her magazine.

"Whatever," Van-Bitch-Face drawled. "You all are lame. Joss, let's go, the house elves can unpack this for us. I have better things to do." She swished her long golden tresses over her shoulder and flounced out of the room.

"Don't forget bigger as well," Six called out, though I doubt the Ice Queen heard it.

Tabby and Six burst into a fit of giggles and I half heartedly joined in, but only after Tabby sent a weird look my way.

I was not looking forward to dinner. Six would be sitting with Gordie since they were determined to have their faces glued together which left me one buffer short for any dealings with Scorpius. Normally, I would escape to the Ravenclaw table but, with Ade not talking to me it wasn't really an option. I thought about taking a chance and sitting with Annie and Lysander at Hufflepuff but I noticed that Lysander was sitting with Lily and Molly over at the Gryffindor table and I couldn't bare the idea of all that alone time with Annie.

If she would only stop whining! I have yet to enter into a conversation with her that does not include the words 'why doesn't'; 'why doesn't so and so like me?'; 'why doesn't the teacher ever grade me fairly?'; 'why doesn't my hair stay flat?' The list goes on and, honestly I am annoyed just thinking about it.

So Puffers were out, Gryffindor's were a no go and, since I really wasn't interested in more Seven time until I had thought his offer through more thoroughly, that left me with the Slytherins, (i.e. sitting across from Scorpius).

When I got to the table however, I noticed that Scorpius was not in his usual position and I was left with an empty seat next to Gates and across from Tabby. Scorpius was on the other side of Bertram and practically out of eye roll distance. It was weird. I had gotten used to him saving me the seat across from or next to him.

Conversations started out normally- everyone going on about what they did over the Holidays. Gates opened up and told us a very entertaining story about his mum trying to cook the muggle way for Christmas. They ended up ordering in. Tabby was just as blasé about her lack of family time as she had been back in the dorm. And Bertram went on and on about the party. My details of the break were short and perfunctory, as were Scorpius'. That is, until Hollace came waltzing by.

"I had a great time on New Years, Scorpie. We should do it again sometime." She winked at him and then sauntered off to join Joss at their end of the table.

"A great time with Hollace, huh?" Bertram grinned at Scorpius.

Scorpius' cheeks colored slightly- which is saying something since he is always so composed - but he said nothing.

"Gentlemen never kiss and tell and our 'Scorpie' is nothing if not a true gentleman," Gates added.

"I think I hear Six calling me," I said as I got to my feet, desperate to escape the topic of conversation. I did not need to hear anything more about that wench and Scorpius, I already knew too much as it was.

As I made my way over to the Gryffindor table, I noticed Miles get up from his seat and head in my direction. I picked up my pace and raced to the other side of the room. Not looking where I was going, I squished between two people and nearly ended up in Seven's lap.

"Sorry," I muttered as I adjusted myself on the bench. I peeked up through my eyelashes and noticed Miles turn back to his seat with a dejected look on his face. Merlin, I was horrible. I really should stop being such a coward and talk to the bloody boy.

"It's okay." Seven flashed his award winning smile and I felt a tiny jolt in my belly, though I couldn't be sure if it was butterflies or nausea.

I stayed there for the rest of the dinner, eating but not really tasting. Hearing but not really listening. Seven tried to put an arm around me at one point but I just shrugged it off and gave him my 'still-need-some-time' look. At one point I thought I caught Scorpius scowling in my direction but, as soon as I saw it, the expression was gone and he was smiling and talking to Gates. I turned away. No point in looking in that direction as it would only piss me off further.

It was inevitable. I don't know why I bothered delaying it- I suppose it was my natural preference to avoid conflict. And I should have known better than to enter the common room before midnight…but how else was I supposed to get to bed?

As Miles stood there, his hang dog expression tearing at my heart strings, I realized that I was no better than Seven. I, who hated how he would just ignore me, have now treated someone exactly the same way. Poor Miles didn't deserve that, no matter how much of a jealous prat he was. Especially since it turned out he had every right to be jealous. So I decided it was time to take pity on the poor bastard. I gave him a nod to follow me and led him towards a vacant corner near the boy's dormitory.

"Rose…" he started in a pleading voice but I raised my hand to silence him, knowing that if I listened to what he had to say I might give in.

"Listen Miles, I think it's best if we just stay friends," I began in a firm tone.

"But…" he started again.

"No, I'm not in the right place for someone as nice as you." God break up lines were so horrible. "I think I just need to be alone for now. It's not you, it's me." He gave me that 'are you seriously feeding me this bullshit' face, to which I responded with the only thing I could think of. "I just don't think I'm over my ex and it's not fair on you. I'm sorry."

I didn't bother waiting to hear what he had to say, mainly because I almost gagged on my own words. Breaking up with someone sucks- I think I prefer to be the breakee rather than the breaker any day. At least when you get dumped people feel bad for you and you eventually get over it, but breaking up with someone is tough. Personally, I found it way too hard to let a person down.

"Hey Scorpius, wait up!" I turned and spotted Scorpius standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the boy's dorms. His face was a mask but his eyes burned into me with such loathing, I almost forgot to breath. Bertram came barreling down the stairs and slapped Scorpius on the back, breaking the hypnotic spell. Scorpius turned away and I found myself able to move again.

And move I did. I high tailed it to my dorm room and threw myself on my bed, closing the hangings, and sulked. This day had been way too weird. It was apparent that Scorpius was angry at me for something but I had no idea what. _I_ wasn't the one who had almost kissed him and then did…well, Merlin knows what with the Devil. Maybe he'd noticed that I'd been avoiding him and instead of bothering to stalk me he'd gotten angry instead. Or perhaps I am reading too far into it. I mean, I'm suddenly obsessed with one Scorpius Malfoy. I should be over him! Especially after seeing his rendezvous with…ugh, I didn't want to think about _her_ right now.

Okay, focus Rose. You have options. You can stick to your guns and stay single or get back together with Seven, despite the fact that he treated you like shite for half a year. My rational mind knew it was an easy answer. Obviously, I shouldn't consider giving Seven a second chance but another part of me thought about how much I had loved him…until he started being such a wanker. Maybe we could be happy together again. Pretend like this year had never happened. Pretend like I had never fallen for my mum's ex-husband's son. Merlin, I sounded like a plot from some horrid daytime drama! It would certainly make life easier to get back together with Seven, especially since Six and Gordie were together. It would be just like old times, _pre-Scorpius_ times. Now that I could barely look the boy in the eye, I might as well go back to my ex.

But Seven had really broken my heart. Why would I want to put myself through that again? What about my self-respect? Hell, I wasn't even sure I _wanted_ him anymore. Did I really have feelings for Seven or was it just a residual sensation, pangs from all the time we had spent together? The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Finally I decided I wasn't ready to make a decision. Instead of saying yes or no I was going to say 'friends'. That's right. I was going to tell Seven that if he ever wanted a chance to have anything with me again, we would have to start over as friends first. It would buy me some time to figure out how I really felt about him.

_And_ it would give me a chance to sort out my feelings for Scorpius. Other than feeling stupid, that is.

**A/N: quick update right? I plan on them being much faster now that I have pretty much completed writing this fic… just some minor editing to do. **

**So what did you think? I know it is just filler Six and Gordie? Rose and Miles? Scorpius always walking in at the wrong time? **

**Thanks to all of you readers and reviewers and especially to my wonderific beta dracosgem.**


	20. The Annoying of Tabby

Six wandered into the room all dreamy eyed and I decided to divert my thoughts by  
delving into her new, exciting love life. At first, all I could get out of her were bits  
about how damned wonderful Gordie was. I did my best to hold back any retorts  
about how he had been "not-wonderful" for many months. When she finally got  
down to the nitty-gritty- which is to say, the details of how they had gotten together-  
she told me that she had accidentally stumbled into Gordie when Seven interrupted us at the ball. In fact, she literally fell into his arms.

It got much sappier from there. He apologized for his pratty ways, explaining that  
he had only acted like that because he'd gotten a big head from all the attention. He  
also said that he didn't really like the other girls or the way they "suddenly" found  
him interesting. Gordie declared that none of them were as cool or as beautiful as  
Six…blah, blah, blah. Anyway, Six had eaten it up and they'd been together ever  
since.

I was really happy for her, though I wished she wouldn't be so moony about it.  
Nonetheless, it did serve as a good distraction and I went to sleep fairly easily that  
night.

I had to admit, I was kind of excited to return to my classes. The first day back from  
break was always pretty fun. We got to learn something new instead of a bunch of  
revision and since I started off with my normal free period on Mondays, I decided  
to use the time to stalk Adrianna. I would follow her from breakfast and corner her.  
I had nothing better to do- I couldn't hang out with Bertram and Scorpius because  
there was this weird sort of tension between us and I wasn't sure if it was mutual or  
just me.

I trailed roughly ten paces behind Ade as she and Jasper walked through the halls  
hand in hand. They split on the third floor where Jasper went to Charms and Ade kept  
on walking towards Transfiguration.

"Hey!" I shouted at her, running up a flight of stairs to catch up.

She faced me for just a moment, a look of cool indifference on her face, before  
turning away and stalking off. Ouch!

"Ade, please," I begged.

She slowed, but only slightly and said, "I'll be late."

"C'mon, Ade," I entreated. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. In  
fact, that was exactly what I tried to avoid."

She whipped around and her hair almost lashed me in the face.

"How so? By letting me think the guy I was dating liked me for me?"

"Well he does, doesn't he? I mean he didn't take the payment from James, right?"

"That's not the point," she countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "You didn't  
know he would refuse."

"You're right," I admitted, "I didn't. I just wanted to give James a chance to clean  
up his mess. He's my cousin and everything he did he did to please you. Albeit in a  
twisted way, but it was for you."

She huffed in response.

"Ade, I know it doesn't look like it, but James really cares about you."

"Well, he has a funny way of showing it!" Her arms dropped to her sides. That was a  
good sign.

"He's an idiot." I shrugged. "What can I say?"

"That he's an arrogant, stupid, interfering toad that needs to be neutered."

"I don't know that you can neuter a toad," I replied with a tiny smile.

Ade cracked a small grin in return and I knew all was forgiven…at least for me. Poor  
James would have to work a bit harder to get back in her good graces.

I walked Ade the rest of the way to Transfiguration, only to find the door shut tight.  
She grabbed the handle but it wouldn't budge. Prat Professor Boot must've locked it  
to keep anyone from walking in late. Ade huffed and kicked the door with her foot,  
stubbing a toe in the process. I couldn't help but chuckle, even if it was my fault that  
she would miss her first class.

"It's not funny." She swatted my arm but started to giggle herself.

Strolling through the corridor, she caught me up on her romance with Jasper. She  
said it was going well as long as they didn't talk about anything more serious than  
the weather. According to her that was fine for now. I gathered that she just wanted  
him for a fun fling; which is interesting because that was all James had wanted him  
for as well (that didn't come out right). Although I was certain that he would not be thrilled to learn how far those two had actually gone together. Not that I would tell  
him anything.

"So, what's going on with you and my cousin?" Adrianna spat after we'd exhausted  
the subject of Jasper's abs.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I turned away from her, hoping she  
didn't catch the color rising in my cheeks.

"Yeah, right," she retorted. "So that's why you've just turned a bright shade of  
Weasley Red?"

"No, really, nothing is going on."

"That's not what it looked like at the New Years Eve party," she pointed out.

"Well, you were mistaken," I shot back, a bit more sternly than I had intended.

Ade looked taken aback and I scrambled to apologize. "I'm sorry, Ade. I'm just sick  
of people asking me about him." This was a lie- she was the first person to ask me  
about Scorpius since the party.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" she asked in a gentle tone and placed a hand on my  
shoulder.

"Yes, I'm sure," I whispered. "Besides, why don't you ask the VanBitch-face. I'm  
sure she'll tell you all you need to know." I hid my face again but this time to conceal  
my damned belligerent tears. Stupid things had a mind of their own.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

I peeked at her in surprise. Adrianna hardly ever cursed.

"How in the w-… Oh, my goodness, Rose are you crying?" Her face instantly  
morphed from horror to concern.

"No, no of course not. Just some dust in my eye." I flicked my eyes up to the ceiling,  
blinked rapidly several times and willed the tears to suck back in. When I felt all was  
safe I looked back at my friend and said, "See."

She was not convinced. If only we hadn't grown up together then she might have  
been fooled by my sub-par excuse. Probably not- I'm a terrible liar.

"Rose, tell me what's going on." She pulled me onto a window ledge that overlooked  
the Whomping Willow.

I broke down and told her everything. I told her about our almost kiss, about my  
conversation with Seven and how Scorpius never returned, and lastly, about how I  
saw him creeping out of the room with his shoes in hand…only to find the she-devil  
herself in there.

"Well maybe it wasn't what it looked like," Ade proffered hopefully.

I just gave her my "you're mental, it was exactly what it looked like" scowl. I should  
think about getting a patent on that one.

"It just doesn't sound like something Scorpius would do," she continued. "I mean, he  
cant stand Holl- I mean, the devil incarnate."

I nodded my head in approval at the name change.

"Well, maybe he can't but that doesn't change the fact that he would rather be with  
her than me." I tried my best to keep the dejection out of my voice.

"Rose…"

Ade didn't know what to say. It was probably because there was nothing to be said.

After a moment of silence she offered, "So then, you do fancy him?"

I nodded my head and then shook it, hoping I could not only convince Ade but also  
myself.

"Well, if you want, I can do some reconnaissance for you?"

"What is it with that word? James said the exact same thing only…" I let the  
statement hang because he'd said it while checking out Ade on the train.

"James? James who?" Adrianna snapped. Now it was her turn to fight back the tears.

Merlin, we were a pair. One completely oblivious to the fact that she is in love with  
her best friend and the other torn up because the guy she wanted turned out to be  
someone different than she had thought he was. It was good thing we had each other.

Other than the seating arrangements, I was looking forward to potions. Not that it  
looked that way, being as I was the last one to get to class. I wandered towards my  
normal table with Tabs, Bertram and Sco- that blond guy- when I was struck by the  
oddest thing I had ever seen: Albus Potter was sitting in my chair. He was sitting next  
to Tabby. Clearly hell had frozen over. I must have looked as shocked because Al  
shouted at me to close my mouth and sit my 'bleeding arse' down.

I turned and noticed the seat next to Seven was vacant. It wasn't what I would have  
chosen but I guess that's what happens when you're late to class.

Seven smiled and I gave him a grimile in return (half grimace, half smile). Six sat  
across from me, clasping Gordie's hand. I thought about how easy it would be to take  
Seven's hand in my own. But the idea sounded so foreign to me now and I knew then  
there was no way I was getting back together with Seven. I would probably have to  
use the 'let's be friends again first' line for a while longer, just to ensure that he didn't  
go back to being a bloody git.

Class was a lot more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. Seven kept fawning  
all over me while I was trying to work but I shrugged off every one of his advances.  
Sadly, he didn't seem to get it. Maybe I wasn't being mean enough. It was just that,  
the idea of being cut off from my friends didn't appeal to me anymore. That said,  
being mean was out of the question.

As I worked, I had the strangest sensation that I was being watched but every time  
I turned around no one was looking in my direction. I could hear Al laughing and  
being his normal, jocular self and Tabby would huff or add a snide remark loud  
enough for me to hear. Scorpius and Bertram seemed to enjoy the new addition to  
their table. I tried my best to get my potion boiling while maintaining a light shade  
of green, which was pretty damn hard. When class was finally over I let out a breath  
of relief and bolted out of the room. I waited in the hall to grab hold of Al- the boy  
owed me some serious answers.

I grabbed his robes from behind when I spotted his messy head.

"What on earth do you think you are doing?" I whispered harshly into his ear.

"Doing about what?" he asked innocently.

"You know what!" I crossed my arms and gave him my no-nonsense look.

"Alright, alright," he conceded. "Seven is paying me to sit there so you could sit with  
him."

"And you agreed to that?"

"I needed the money," he shrugged.

"For what? Your parents will buy you anything you wanted."

"A man likes to earn his own way."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, and you're a man," I said sarcastically.

"You didn't seem upset about it," he replied. "Seven was all over you and you didn't  
try to stop him."

"Shows how much you know." Why did my cousin have to be so clueless? Couldn't  
he tell how uncomfortable I was?

"You might want to tell him that." Albus pointed over my shoulder.

I turned to see Seven waiting for me and groaned inwardly.

"You're off the hook for now. But Al, no more sitting with my friends for money,  
okay?"

"Well…" he screwed up his face into a guilty grimace, "I've already been paid for a  
month's worth. So you see…"

I made a disgusted noise from the back of my throat and turned away. No point in  
even talking about this further. Why were my Potter cousins such morons?

As soon as I broke away from Al, Seven was at my side.

"Hey," he said, falling into step beside me.

"Hi. Listen, I think we need to talk." I was very proud of myself for breaching the  
topic already. I mean usually I would just avoid it until it became too much to bear,  
but this had only gone on for less than a week! That might be a record for me.

"Sure." His tone was expectant, as was the smile on his face.

This was so not going to be easy.

"So, I think that we should just be friends," I blurted.

His face fell.

"At least for a while," I added in an effort to get the hangdog look off his face. I  
know I'm too nice- he deserved to get crushed but I didn't have it in me. "I think we  
need to work on reconnecting if we ever want to get back together."

He perked up at that last part. I guess it didn't sound completely hopeless. To be  
honest, I didn't know if it was or not. Who knew how we'd feel in the future but now,  
I couldn't get back with him.

"I guess that makes sense." His voice wasn't cheerful but he seemed to be okay with  
my answer. At least it didn't look like he was going to go back to being a shithead.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. Okay, that wasn't so terrible. Now I just had to  
stick to my single resolution and all would be well. Boys were too much drama for  
me.

The rest of the day was weird. Normally, I would sit with Scorpius in most of my  
classes but he seemed so distant. He wasn't completely ignoring me but neither one  
of us was putting any effort into talking to the other. It was tense and uncomfortable.

I was relieved that I'd patched things up with Ade so I could escape to the Ravenclaw  
table at lunch and dinner. I was a little worried that she might say something about the  
whole Scorpius thing in front of Dom but thankfully she held her tongue.

Not that I didn't trust Dom, it was just… well actually I didn't trust Dom. I was  
certain that if she knew she would end up telling everyone else. I love my cousin but  
she's not very discrete.

After dinner Ade pulled me aside and told me she didn't have any news for me yet.  
I laughed and told her that I didn't need her to check up on Scorpius for me. It was  
fine, we weren't meant to be. I had lived without him for the past five years, I could  
continue to do so easily enough. Hopefully….

As I was brushing off Ade's comment, I turned and practically cracked my head  
on 'said blond boy's' chin.

"Sorry," I stammered out, "didn't see you." I could feel the color creeping up my  
neck.

I wanted to point out his stalkerish tendencies but held back. I didn't feel comfortable  
launching into any witty banter.

Thankfully, he looked just as uncomfortable as I felt. "I just wanted to let you know that we have practice tomorrow night after dinner."

"Yeah?" I replied. "Okay, I'll be there."

"All right then. See ya." With that he turned and left.

I stood rooted to the spot not really sure what to think. I just stared after him like a  
bleeding idiot.

"That was…weird." Ade piped up. I forgot she was standing there.

"I know. That's the most we've said to each other since we got back. I mean, I know  
why I'm being – in your words – 'weird', but I have no idea what's gotten into him."

Ade shrugged and we went our separate ways. I headed towards the Slytherin  
common room and she went to meet up with Jasper in some broom closet I expect.  
Not sure what it is about broom closets, awfully uncomfortable and disgusting places.  
I prefer an abandoned classroom myself.

The Slytherin common room was pretty full. I noticed Tabby and Bertram sitting in  
our regular corner. Part of me was hesitant to head over. For one, Scorpius would  
likely come by and then Tabby would be too damn observant to keep her mouth shut  
about our awkwardness.

Nevertheless, I decided to suck it up and take my chances. If I kept avoiding him I  
would end up a very lonely girl.

"I swear I saw them going at it when I passed the staff quarters," Bertram said  
adamantly.

"Yeah right?" Tabby rolled her eyes at him.

"So what're you two on about?" I asked as I plopped down in a free chair.

Tabby directed her thumb towards Bertram, "This tosspot here thinks that Professor  
Barclay and Madam Chambers were getting vertical in the staff rooms."

"They were! And I am not a tosspot." Bertram slumped back into his chair and  
sulked.

I shook my head in amused astonishment. No one touches Professor Hotness but me, or at least, that's how it goes down in my wildest dreams. Too bad there were no men like that my age.

I waited in nervous anticipation for the inevitable moment that Scorpius would join us.

I waited in vain.

He never showed. Part of me breathed a sigh of relief while the other part wondered  
why I was still getting the cold shoulder. Had he picked up on my discomfort? Even  
so, since when had that ever stopped him from stalking me down and wearing the  
avoidance out of me?

Gates came by for a minute but it was brief and Six was not expected. I assumed  
she would be glued to Gordie, possibly in a broom closet, but more likely behind the  
tapestry in the third corridor. Don't ask me how I knew this. Let's just say it dated  
back to an unfortunate incident involving Six and James in fourth year- something  
she swears will never happen again.

By ten I was ready for bed. Any longer and it might look like I was waiting for  
him…which I wasn't. I most certainly was not.

I slept fitfully that night. A vision of Scorpius chasing a snitch that turned out to be a  
charm bracelet for Hollace invaded my regular dream of Professor Hotness teaching  
me proper book care. I don't criticize your dreams, so you can leave mine alone too.

**A\N: Thanks to dracosgem for getting this chapter to me so I could post it. Pretty quick update right? **

**So what did you think? I know it's a bit of filler, but at least Rose and Ade are talking again. And she has finally admitted to someone else that she likes Scorpius... sort of. **

**What about Al and his need to make his own way? Silly Albus Potter.**

**Thanks so much to all of you who are still with me and who take the time not only to read but to review. I appreciate it so much.**


	21. NYE Revealed

The second day back to class was much less exciting. In fact, it was almost anti-climactic...not that there should have been some sort of climax but, I figured at some point the Scorpius thing would have come to a head. I mean, we were in all the same classes and even sat next to each other in Arithmancy, where the Professor handed back our project- sporting a large O, I might add. But nothing- not a word. I think he might have grunted at me once but that was it.

What in the bleeding hell had I done? I wasn't the one sleeping with the VanBitch-face. Nope. Okay, so I jumped away when our "almost kiss" was interrupted by Six but, that was hardly an event that warranted the cold shoulder!

Given Scorpius' vile attitude, I was not looking forward to Quidditch practice. Hell, I hadn't been looking forward to it to begin with but this new wrinkle only added to my "not looking forward to practice" list. First, Miles would be there looking all sad eyed. Second, I had absolutely no clue how to act around Scorpius now that I knew he hooked up with the Ice Queen She-Devil from hell. Third, Cassie would probably piss me off and I'd be forced to keep myself from hitting her with the Quaffle. And fourth, Scorpius was being a total weirdo, which almost made me want to confront him. Almost. I still had my pride and I was pretty upset that he would go from almost kissing me to doing whatever it was he did with _The Whore_. So when practice came, I went out to the pitch anticipating the worst.

And boy, did it live up to my expectations.

Miles spent the entire practice gazing at me with a wounded look on his face, which in turn caused him to miss a lot of easy shots. Naturally, Scorpius yelled at him and, during one of his better rants, I swore I heard him say something like "...not into you…prefers rat faced twats", but I must have been mistaken because Scorpius would never say that about anyone. Cassie was true to form, showboating all throughout practice. Of course, she was rather good so I couldn't criticize her aloud but, I was certainly calling her a lot of names in my head!

But worst of all, Scorpius refused to talk to me. Not even when I dropped an easy pass from Eleanor (the tall friend of Cassie's) did I get a good talking to. I don't think I was the only one who noticed either. Cassie flew by me at one point and muttered, "Guess Captain's pet doesn't get yelled at like the rest of us." Too bad that meant Scorpius wasn't talking to me as opposed to cutting me a break.

When Scorpius finally let us go, relief was the forefront emotion. I couldn't get off the bleeding pitch fast enough. In fact I didn't even bother changing. Instead, I went straight to the castle in mucked up clothes, ratty hair, and all. Regrettably, I only made it halfway to the Slytherin dorms before being accosted. Of course I wouldn't make it. Seven just had to pull me into some random alcove.

Man, was he being relentless or what?

I rolled my eyes in aggravation. "Can I help you?" Normally I wouldn't be so snippy but, given the practice I'd just barely survived, I felt I had earned the right to snap at him. He _was_ the one person who deserved it, after all.

"Ouch," he shot back with a cheeky grin. "Someone have a rough practice?"

"It wasn't the best." I slumped against the wall.

"See, I warned you not to play Quidditch," he drawled. "Sports aren't attractive on a girl."

"What? Are you-" My color was up and I was about to fly into a rant when Seven suddenly kissed me That's right, _he _bleedin' kissed _me_! I did my best to shove him away but the git was damn persistent.

A group of people shuffled past- probably the rest of the team (our alcove wasn't one of Hogwarts' top ten hiding places)- and my irritation gelled. That was just what Miles needed to see right now. Poor bloke was already upset and this made it look like I was shoving it in his face! I bloody well wasn't, because there was nothing to shove. Once it seemed that everyone had passed, Seven finally let me go.

I struck him hard in the chest. "What do you think you're doing?" I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"How else was I supposed to get you to shut up?" he rebuffed. "I didn't feel like listening to some feminist rant so I figured, what the hell? Besides, you look damn sexy when your temper is up- it's hard to resist."

I narrowed my eyes in fury. "Do that again Seven Deciles and, not only are your chances of being with me off but so is this supposed friendship!"

Seven blinked, looking a little taken aback. I guess he didn't figure on how upset I would be after such an idiotic move. Perhaps he thought I still adored him and that I had every intention of forgiving him. Maybe he figured a kiss was just the thing to remind me of what I was missing. Boy was he wrong. If anything, that kiss cemented the fact that I never wanted to date him again, _ever_.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd mind this much." He looked pretty sorry, but mostly shocked.

"Whatever," I breathed. "I'm tired. Was there a reason you pulled me aside?" I tapped my foot, waiting impatiently for his reply.

"Er, no..." he stammered, "I just wanted to see you."

"Well, now you have.," I snapped. "Good night Seven."

With that, I left him. That's right, _I _Rose Weasley, left Seven Deciles gaping after me in a bloody alcove. WAHOO! I can't lie- it felt pretty damn good.

****

Honestly, I thought things couldn't get any weirder between me and Scorpius...but I was wrong. As soon as I walked into the Slytherin Common room, I glanced over to our corner and saw Scorpius take one look at me, get up, and leave. I might have been a little paranoid, but it looked like the tosser left because I had come in! Great, so he's pissed because he thought I was back with Seven. I would have loved to tell him it wasn't so but I wasn't exactly given the opportunity...not that I would have taken it, anyway. Prat...

Right, so clearly this was hard for me. I was struggling with competing feelings about Scorpius- disgust, since he'd decided to get together with Hollace (even if it was just for the one night)- and curiosity. I needed to know why he was suddenly so mad at me. Although, I was pretty sure of why he was mad at the moment. My getting back together with Seven would definitely piss him off, no matter what he might feel for me.

In the end, I decided not to do anything. I would simply go about my business and keep my head low where Scorpius was concerned. And it was easier than it should have been. Maybe it was because he was avoiding me, too...or maybe it was because I had Seven, Al, Gordie and Six. Even if Seven was getting on my nerves, anything was better than the horrid tension with Scorpius. That said, I no longer had to sit by him during Potions, thanks to Al and Seven. Amusedly, their "deal" enraged Tabby to no end (which made me laugh) but I was not looking forward to the month's end when Al would no longer take the hit for me. I doubted Seven would pay for another month considering the curt attitude I'd given him since the kiss. I wasn't trying to be mean but I was definitely giving off the "just friends" vibe. Too bad he couldn't do the same for me. Luckily, it didn't look like he'd try kissing me again. Thank Merlin.

It did mean less time with Tabby, though. Despite how much she drove me crazy, I was starting to miss her. I actually liked spending time with her. She tried to ask me about it once but I brushed off her concern with a quick shrug and an "everything is fine". She responded with a "I don't believe a bloody word you're saying" look but backed off anyway. I guess she figured I would tell her when the time was right. Good girl, that Tabby.

After that, all I had to do was fly straight and pass the ball in practice. Quidditch was definitely a lot less fun than I imagined. Although, to be fair, it was probably because I wasn't speaking to the Captain (or rather we weren't speaking to each other), I was trying to avoid speaking to Miles, and in order to prevent the death of a fellow chaser via Quaffle, I wasn't speaking to Cassie either. Yup, Quidditch sucked. I was thinking of quitting once we beat Hufflepuff. That would give Scorpius enough time to find another Chaser- one who fit in better with the team and not just a 3rd year Beater.

And so it was that I had just come back from another dismal practice in late January when all hell broke loose. I walked into the girls dorm and found Tabby and Six watching Jocelyn go berserk on the VanBitchFace. Now this I had to see. Taking a seat on Tabby's bed, I grabbed a handful of Bertie Bott's from a bowl in her lap and watched the fireworks go off.

****

**Hollace Van Bitchface POV**

"Well maybe if you had slept with him like I told you to he wouldn't have come crawling to me." I flicked my hair behind me in cool resignation. Mama always told me that a cool head was always a necessity when dealing with a lower class.

"Maybe if you'd been a better friend you wouldn't have slept with my boyfriend!" Jocelyn screamed. Her hair was a mess and her face had turned an awful shade of purple…it was not a good color on her. Really, she looked quite deranged as she tossed a pillow at my head. Naturally, I smartly ducked out of the way.

Gathering my night clothes, I ignored the slew of words that flew out of her mouth. I honestly didn't care. I really didn't need her as a friend anyway- I had her boyfriend in my back pocket to play with.

Now, I know what you're thinking. But you're wrong. I'm not a horrible person. Jocelyn is nothing but a needy follower and I'm better off without her. Besides, it's not like I went after Jason. _He_ came to _me_.

I wouldn't have even considered his proposition if I hadn't been turned down by a drunken Scorpius Malfoy. I would never understand how that happened. We were having such a grand time with one another! Granted, he was getting more plastered than I would have liked but, that didn't matter. Closing the deal with Scorpius was my top priority- it would certainly make mama proud. She always told me that we were stock meant for Malfoy's and that circumstance alone had kept her from hers. She stressed that I not let the same happen to me so I took every opportunity to find a way into Scorpie's life. He didn't make it easy but, again, that didn't matter. We were meant to be together- it was inevitable- and I'd thought that New Years Eve would finally be our night. Sadly, all he did was pass out before I could get to any of the good stuff. Indeed, I must have passed out myself, because I woke to an empty room, all traces of my Scorpie gone.

When we got back to school he acted as if I had the plague or something. Can you blame me for letting Jason make love to me? It was nice feeling adored after the treatment I'd suffered at Scorpius' hands. And so what if he was "dating" Jocelyn. They hadn't even slept together and he obviously didn't seem to mind! Why should I? She would get over it eventually. Admittedly, I didn't figure on her finding out. Note to self- lock the dorm room door next time around.

Regardless, it's not like I would have chosen Jocelyn as a friend anyway. I tried to make nice with Tabitha in first year, since mama and her father were friends, but she took sides with Rose in our first dorm room fight and I was left with was Joss. It was really quite sad. A Weasley was never supposed to be allowed into Slytherin and when I told my mama she was furious. She said something about Hogwarts going downhill.

She was right. Rose was awful. The brat always liked to play the damsel in distress, so innocent, so pitiful. Yeah right. I knew what she got up to with that old boyfriend of hers. I caught them once in an abandoned classroom. Apparently she didn't know how to lock doors either. Then she went after my Scorpie- good thing that's over. Stupid wench should know that Weasley's and Malfoy's don't mix.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jocelyn wailed as I walked towards the bathroom.

"Nope," I tossed over my shoulder. "Maybe you should try talking to me when you have something reasonable to say." And with another flick of my hair, I left the room.

A shower was exactly what I needed. Jocelyn's rant had been trying and mama always said a nice hot shower would solve whatever might ail you. She took a lot of those, especially when my father left on one of his "trips". Mama was always so tense when he was away. Though, she wasn't much better when he was home either; not that that was very often. Papa worked on the continent a lot more than mama would like. Recently, however, she had taken to liking it more. I think it has something to do with the new gardener she hired. She claims that he is excellent at trimming the hedges. Gardening has always been very important to mama.

Papa always makes it up to Mama when he comes back, though. He brings us the best prezzie's anyone could ask for. I think I might get a flying carpet for my 17th birthday. They are illegal in England but papa says not to worry about it. He knows people.

The shower was delightfully refreshing and when I entered our dorm room I saw Jocelyn being comforted by that bint Rose. What a traitor. Whatever. I'll let Rose deal with being followed around and having to listen to mindless drivel. I have better things to do with my time. Like sleep. Closing the hangings around my bed, I put a spell on them to keep them closed. I wasn't taking any chances with this lot. Slipping under the covers, I fanned my hair out around my head so it wouldn't get any kinks and went to sleep.

Hopefully Jocelyn would be over whatever her problem was by tomorrow. If not, then oh well.

****

**Rose POV**

It would have been a lot better if Jocelyn had been able to incite some sort of a reaction from The She-Devil, but it was a rather juicy fight nonetheless; especially when Jocelyn threw the pillow at her. Granted, it missed but it was brilliant all the same.

When the VanBitchFace left the room, Jocelyn folded in on herself atop her bed and wept. Six, Tabby and I all looked at one another, unsure of what to do. Jocelyn had never been one of our favorite people, but she was under the influence of Hollace, so it wasn't totally her fault.

I decided that no matter how annoying she was she still deserved a little consolation so I went over and joined her on the bed.

"It's okay Joss, he isn't worth it and _she_ certainly isn't." I patted her hesitantly on the back and Jocelyn's sobs shook the bed. She wrapped her skinny little arms around my waist and cried into my shoulder.

I looked over at Tabby and Six in uncertainty. Tabby looked like she was trying to stifle her laughter and Six merely shrugged, looking just as bewildered as I was. Rubbing Jocelyn's back, I hoped it would calm her heaving sobs.

"Shh," I whispered in her ear and stroked my fingers through her hair. Slowly, her body began to still and her sniffles subsided. After about fifteen minutes, she lifted her tear stained, swollen face. Snot was dripping out of her right nostril and it took all my will power not to look down at my jumper to make sure she hadn't gotten any on me. She wiped the tears from her eyes and snot on the arm of her jumper (gross but better than it dribbling down her face, I guess).

"Why're you being so nice to me?" she asked with a sniffle.

I looked at her puffy red eyes and shrugged. "Why not?" I had nothing overly sentimental to say.

"Well tha-ank you," she hiccupped in response.

"So…what happened, exactly?" I had gotten the gist of the problem but details were always more interesting.

At that point, Hollace entered in all her glory, completely unfazed that her supposed "best friend" was upset about something she'd done. We all stared at her in silent disgust and Jocelyn moved closer to me, burrowing her head in my shoulder once more. It must've been hard having the one person who was supposed to be there for you dismiss you so completely.

Once the VanBitch-Face got into bed and closed her hangings, I cast a silencing charm so Jocelyn could speak freely. Tabby and Six came over to listen in and offer their own sympathies to the disheartened girl. We piled tightly on her bed, anxious to hear her what she had to say.

"Well, (sniffle) I went up to Jason's dorm room because I thought that tonight might be _the_ night and when I walked in I saw Ho- I mean _her _naked on top of him! Neither one of them seemed to notice the intrusion." She bent her head and sobbed anew.

This time, Six patted Jocelyn's back in sympathy.

"Sorry," Jocelyn looked up and tried to hold back the tears.

"It's okay," I soothed. "So then what happened?"

"Well, then I sort of freaked out," she admitted. "I started yelling and Jason jumped up and tried to play it off saying I'd 'misunderstood the situation'." She snorted in reviled disbelief. "It might have been more convincing if he'd had his pants on."

We all looked at each other and rolled our eyes, amazed by the stupidity of men.

Jocelyn cocked her head in conspiracy. "I may have cast a shrinking hex in his direction," she whispered, a wicked glimmer in her eye, but it died when she mentioned the She-Devil. "Afterwards. Hollace just collected her things, as if nothing was wrong at all. She actually thought I was stupid for being upset! Then, well, you saw the rest."

We all nodded and continued to make sympathetic noises.

"She's a right slut!" I finally declared.

Everyone added their own agreement to my superbly enlightened statement.

I shook my head. "I mean, first there was Thad, then Scorpius and now Jason!" I exclaimed. "She can't seem to keep her legs closed at all."

Tabby and Six looked at me with their mouths agape.

"She slept with Scorpius?" Tabby finally averred. "I don't believe it."

"No way!" Six shook her head in disbelief.

"I swear, I saw him sneak out from a room in which they…well they obviously did something. It was on New Year's Eve at Ade's place."

"She didn't sleep with him," Jocelyn piped up.

We all snapped our heads in her direction.

"But I saw…"

"You probably saw him sneaking away from her, but nothing happened," she snorted. "Hollace wishes. Scorpius was just drunk and passed out. Trust me, she was right pissed that it didn't go any further than him snoring in her lap." Jocelyn out right laughed now.

"Scorpius was drunk? When did that happen, he was perfectly sober when I was talking to him." I looked to Six for confirmation.

"Me too," Six added.

"Well, Hollace told me she followed him up to one of the rooms and he had a bottle of firewhiskey in tow. I guess it was a little before midnight. She said she tried to get him to…well you know, but he was determined to get drunk. Then he passed out in her lap. She tried to wake him up, even laid down next to him and well…let's just say she tried really hard to wake him but she passed out herself and when she woke up she was alone."

"That's what happened?" I was stunned. I also felt horrible for suspecting that Scorpius would ever get together with that skank.

"I wonder why he was so determined to get drunk?" Tabby asked aloud.

I did too for that matter.

Six looked suddenly looked sheepish. "I think I know."

We all looked at her for an explanation.

She blushed. "I'm sorry Rose," she whispered, "I should have tried harder."

I frowned in confusion. "Tried harder to do what ?"

"Tried to stop him."

"Will you stop being so vague and let us in on what you're babbling about?" Tabby admonished.

"Yes, please do," I added.

"I should have stopped him from going out onto the terrace," she replied. "He had gone to get the punch and he came back and…I tried to warn him not to go out there, but, well, I was looking for Gordie and…" she trailed off and averted her eyes.

My heart plummeted. Now I knew why he was upset with me. Now it all made perfect sense. At first I felt terrible, I mean I had suspected him of doing something disgusting when all he had done was try to escape from the horrible thing he thought I had done. But, if he had only asked me…

Then I got indignant. Why didn't he just ask me? Why were boys so bleeding stupid? Didn't he have any faith in me? Of course, I didn't seem to have much faith in him either. This was all such a mess and I was sure that kiss with Seven didn't help things. Damn-it. Damn-it. Damn-it.

"What was on the terrace?" Jocelyn asked after several minutes of me berating myself.

"I was," I said half heartedly.

Tabby gave me that look in response. You know, the one that says "please don't start this evasive shite again".

"I might have been hugging Seven. Or maybe he just saw us talking, though he probably would have interrupted that. No, he saw me hugging Seven." I let out a sigh.

"Why were you hugging Seven?" Tabby snapped.

And then I went into the whole explanation- how Seven apologized and how I had forgiven him, though I didn't take him back. I even told them about the almost kiss between Scorpius and I, how I fancied Scorpius, and how Seven kissed me in the corridor. I confessed it all and I'm pretty sure it came out as a disjointed, garbled mess

After my long, nonsensical confession we all sat in silence.

"Wow, that's enough drama to make me forget about my own," Jocelyn said.

"Glad to be of service," I mocked.

"Well, you've gone and gotten yourself into a right mess." Tabby tossed a pillow at my head, to which I returned with a harder pillow smack.

At that point that Six went to her bed and grabbed her own pillow and smacked Tabby as well. Then we all just went crazy on one another. Pillows were flying and Six ended up falling off the bed. I laughed hysterically when Tabby got jumped by all three of us in a triple whammy pillow smack down. It was just the sort of relief I needed and, by the look of things, Jocelyn needed it too.

Eventually, we all lay down together on the bed, panting and smiling. It felt like it had been forever since I had been able to really let go and have fun. I knew it was horrible for me to say but, Jocelyn getting cheated on was possibly the best thing that could have happened to me. I mean, she was obviously still upset about it but, for me, it led me to my finding out about Scorpius. It also led to a glorious pillow fight. And, who knows? Maybe a new friend. Jocelyn didn't seem so bad, once you tore her away from that Devil Woman.

"So what do I do now?" I asked.

We spent the rest of the night trying to figure out a way to get Scorpius to talk to me. By the end of the night we had come up with the following: 1- trapping him in a broom closet (to which I adamantly refused); 2 - spilling a bowl of soup on his lap and forcing some sort of reaction from him, leading to a conversation (though I pointed out that it might put him in a negative frame of mind); or 3 – something that involved a chicken costume and a bowl of oatmeal (hey, it was late). So really, we had nothing. Maybe something would come to me in the morning. I certainly hoped so. 

**A/N: So terribly sorry. My beta was extremely busy lately, but she has the next chapter already so hopefully I will be able to update sooner. **

**So... pretty big chapter right? Now we know what really happened between Scorpius and the VanBitchFace. How nice is it that he didnt do anything? Such a good guy. **

**Now what? How is Rose going to get him to talk to her? How about Jocelyn? poor girl. and how did you like getting into Hollace's head. **

**Love to know what you think. **

**Thanks for any of you who are still with me. Thanks especially for those who take the time to review. And special thanks to dracosgem for fitting this in and beta-ing the crap out of it.**


	22. The Valentine's Day Massacre

I tried to get Scorpius to talk to me over the next week or so but it seemed he was determined to avoid me at all cost. Even when Al moved back to his own potions table and I could sit next to him again, he only gave me clipped, one word answers. At our house table he focused on eating and talking to Gates... but he did it in such a way that it made it impossible for me to get a word in edgewise. And he was never in the common room. I mean, never. I waited for him until midnight once to no avail. Quidditch practice was also out. There was way too much going on for me to try and broach that topic, not with Miles staring me down and Cassie giving me the stink eye.

I was seriously on the verge of buying a chicken suit.

And to make things entirely worse, it was almost Valentine's Day and the entire castle had been hosed down in pinks and reds. It was enough to make me vomit. I was probably alone in this but, I had always loathed Valentine's Day. I couldn't put my finger on why that was. I suppose it could have something to do with the fact that it's also James' birthday and I was constantly forced to celebrate him instead of "love". Or maybe it was the idea that one day dedicated to showing a person you care is ridiculous. If a person felt that strongly they should be doing it year round. Eh, I don't know but, whatever it was, I never looked forward to Valentine's Day... and this year was no exception.

Naturally, James was planning on a small gathering at the Hogs Head in town. Professor Hotness had given us all permission to go to Hogsmeade after classes as long as we were back in the castle by ten, not because it was James' birthday of course, but because it was Valentine's Day. James wasn't that special.

Seven asked me to go into town with him as 'friends' but I respectfully declined. I might consider making an appearance at the celebrations but, honestly I was thinking of boycotting the whole day. A nice book by the fire, a warm bath and bed didn't sound half bad. James would forgive me for not showing. In fact, I doubt he would even notice given his focus on trying to get Ade to go. Al mentioned that his brother had somehow managed to get Jasper to agree to show and where there was Jasper there was Ade. After that I'm sure my cousin didn't think much further. It was actually kind of intriguing- enough for me to reconsider my quiet nigt in... maybe.

The weekend leading up to the dreaded day went by faster than I would have liked. I tried to find Scorpius in one of his normal haunts- one more attempt to get him alone and talk- but no such luck. Stupid prat.

Monday morning I woke up crabby. _Ugh. _It was going to be an awful day. This was confirmed by the sickening displays of affection observed on my way to breakfast. This included Dom's new kill, the poor sod. I needed to think up some better nicknames for these guys as it was starting to get confusing. Maybe I'd call this one Larry. Larry was a good name, easy to remember. Sidestepping that absurd display, I headed towards the Slytherin table. I was certain to avoid too much disgustingness there. I mean, we were all single except for Six, and she was more than likely with the Gryffindors. Gordie didn't care much for the evil looks Tabby directed his way whenever he tried to sit with us.

I truly thought I'd be safe in our little corner of the world but, boy was I wrong. Hollace was being gross with Jason and poor Jocelyn was clearly holding back tears. Even worse, I spotted Miles with his arm around Cassie. That's right, _Cassie_. I wasn't jealous, I swear, but seriously…Cassie? What the hell is wrong with him? Maybe our break up fried his brain.

Even worse was when I approached our part of the table and saw Tabby holding hands with Bertram. Not this again. Damn those two. Why does this shite have to happen on today of all days?

"What's this then?" I asked as I approached.

Bertram blushed and Tabby ignored me. I sat across from Scorpius while Gates was trying to divert Jocelyn's attention from the horror going on at the other end of the table. He was such a nice guy, that Gates.

"So…" I tried to start a conversation, but Scorpius seemed preoccupied by his eggs. Apparently scrambled eggs are very interesting.

"Can we..." I began again.

"Well I better get some studying done," he said as he rose from the table, leaving me mid-sentence.

Tabby and Jocelyn gave me piteous looks. Bertram was as usual oblivious but Gates, ever the intuitive one, spoke up.

"Still not talking to you, eh?"

I shrugged.

"He'll get over it," Gates said in his wise, all knowing voice.

I really hoped he was right.

****

I went to potions early, hoping I could beat Scorpius there and get him to talk to me. The bastard was completely MIA during free period. To my dismay the room was open, which left me alone with Seven. The idiot took this as a sign and decided to come over to my table and start a conversation. It was innocent enough. He wanted to know if I was going to James' birthday celebration. I gave a non-committal 'maybe'.

When the rest of the class started filing in, Seven got up to head back to his own table. As he left he rubbed his hand along my back and said, "I look forward to seeing you tonight." Then he winked.

Scorpius had just come up to the table. What the hell was Seven playing at? Was it just me or did he appear to try harder whenever Scorpius was nearby? I mean, first there was New Year's Eve when I was alone with Scorpius, and then there was the incident in the hall where he felt it necessary to kiss me, and now this. Maybe I was being paranoid but the boy seemed to really lay on the charm when Malfoy was around.

I could barely concentrate on potions. I didn't even look up from my cauldron to see Scorpius' reaction, I was so consumed with Seven trying to piss him off on purpose. Okay, so maybe Scorpius liked me, but would he really get this upset over me and Seven? Maybe he was mad that I had caved and gone back to the stupid git. Not that I had but, Scorpius thought I did and…oh well, you know where I'm going with it, right?

When class was over I didn't think, I just rushed over to Seven and pulled him aside. "I need to talk to you," I demanded.

"No argument from me!" He smirked in what I assumed was supposed to be an endearing way.

I felt my stomach churn.

We walked out of the classroom and I directed him to sit on the floor. I had Herbology but I could afford to skiv off just this once. Especially since it was Valentine's Day and all the professors were making it easy since none of the students liked to focus when teenage love and angst were in the air.

Situating myself across for him, I leveled my gaze in an effort to gauge his reactions. "Can I ask you something, Seven?"

"You can ask me anything Rosie." His simpering smile was getting worse.

"Why did you decide you wanted me back?" I stared at him intently, looking for any indication of falsehood.

"Rosie, I thought we went over this. I told you, I missed you." He rolled his eyes ever so slightly.

"But why did you decide to tell me then? On that night?"

"Well, I wanted to say something earlier but, I never seemed to find the guts," he replied. "Then I saw you there and you looked so damn good. I thought I had better make a move before someone else did."

"Someone like Scorpius Malfoy?" I narrowed my eyes.

He shrugged in a non-committal way. "Perhaps. You were dancing awfully close. I couldn't risk losing you to him."

_Aha! I knew it._

"Seven, I'm going to ask you something and I need you to give me an honest answer." My voice was deadly calm.

Pausing, he nodded his agreement. "O-kay."

"Is the only reason you're chasing after me because you don't want me with Scorpius?"

His pupils retracted, if only for a second. "Of course I don't want you to be with Scorpius!" he exclaimed. "I don't want you with anyone but me." His voice was falsely playful but I distinctly heard an underlying edge.

"No Seven, that's not what I mean," I hissed in irritation. "I am asking if the only reason you're after me now is because you think that Scorpius is as well. Do you have some sick rivalry with him where you try to take away anything that might make him happy? Is that what's going on here?"

He paused and then said, "No, of course not. How could you think that?"

His hesitation was all I needed. It confirmed everything. The son of a bitch really was the biggest tosser ever. How I had ever fancied myself in love with such an egocentric, sociopathic arsehole was beyond me!

"Thanks Seven," I said and stood to leave.

He rose as well. "Does that mean we're on for tonight?" he asked hopefully.

I barked a cold laugh. "Not on your life," I drawled, "and I would very much appreciate if you never talked to me again."

With a swish of my hair (hopefully he got a face full of curls) I left him and went late to my Herbology class.

****

My face was aflame. I was so angry that I could literally feel the blood boiling just under the surface.

"Miss Weasley, you're late." Professor Longbottom pointed out as I walked into Greenhouse Three five minutes later.

"Sorry sir," I mumbled and headed towards my table, taking a seat next to Six.

"Now, as I was saying…"

I barely listened as Professor Longbottom explained the proper way to collect the scales of the Squamaclavis Pomo. In retrospect, it would have been a lot smarter to have paid attention given what happened to me next. We were working in teams of three. Six, Jocelyn and I were supposed to work together in order to remove the scales. Six was set to stun the plant, I was in charge of severing the grey scales that covered the plant's body, while Jocelyn would skin off the top layer of each scale in order to better crush it into the fine powder that was used in most sleeping draughts. If I had paid attention I would have known that the stunning would only hold for a few seconds at best. Instead, I was overeager to get as many scales as possible and kept severing well after the plant had regained its ability to use the pointy spikes that activated whenever it felt threatened. I was in the process of removing one of the larger scales when said spike came out and punctured my pinky finger. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital wing.

Just another reason why I hated Valentine's Day.

My eyes felt heavy as they slowly began to focus on my surroundings. I tried to move my head to the side, but found I was unable to do so. I used all my energy to scream out but it only created a small mumbling noise, to which there was thankfully a response. Unfortunately that response was in the form of a 'hold still now' from Healer Wharton. My eyes darted around until he came into view, hovering over me as if I were an interesting potions experiment as opposed to a patient in need.

"You're lucky that boy brought you up when he did. Another ten minutes and you would have been unconscious for days and paralyzed for a week. As it is, you'll be fine in a few more hours."

His smile, if you could even call it that, was not very reassuring.

"Mhgumhum," was my response. What I really wanted to say was 'get me out of this bleeding bed right now!' It was probably best that I couldn't talk.

I started to wonder which boy brought me up. I really hoped it wasn't the nose picker- when I could I would look around for any signs of bogey's. I cringed inwardly- only because I was unable to outwardly do so – at the idea of one of them tangled in my hair.

The next hour passed slowly. Healer Wharton went back into his office once he had given me a semi thorough exam. I had nothing to do but stare at the ceiling. Every couple of minutes I would try to move another part of my body. At one point I got really excited when I thought I had wiggled my nose but, I realized that I was just looking at it cross eyed for too long. Finally after several attempts I was able to bend my pinky. A few minutes later I could bend all of the fingers on my right hand. And it wasn't much longer before I could use my left. I tried a good scream at that point, you know, just to see if I could (it also might annoy Healer Wharton, which was always good fun). I couldn't scream, but it did make for a nice loud 'HUMMM'.

"Ah, good. You are moving along quite rapidly." Healer Wharton was back at my side and invading my line of sight. I wasn't yet able to move my head away.

He did a couple more tests with his wand and tapped at my elbow. To my delight he got a nice little jab to his ribs. _HA._ I found I was able to smile at this, which was even better. I desperately wanted to get out of this room. After another hour and two more examinations I was released on my own recognizance. Which was good because it seemed that no one was there to help me anyway. Where were all my friends? Class most likely, but a little visit wouldn't have been uncalled for. Bastards!

As I was leaving, I ran my fingers through my hair which reminded me. "Hey, Healer Wharton."

He looked up from a parchment that he was reading over.

"Who brought me up here?" _Please don't be nose picker. Please don't be nose picker._

"One of your relatives, I believe."

Thank Merlin! Albus apparently had grown to be chivalrous.

"That blond one." Healer Wharton finished as I was exiting the room.

The doors to the hospital wing shut behind me and I stood there thinking about Healer Wharton's last words. 'The blond one' – That could only mean…but Scorpius wasn't talking to me, or looking at me, or being within a ten meter radius from me. I wondered why Healer Wharton thought we were related, which was gross in itself, and then I remembered the Quidditch match where Roxy wound up in the hospital wing.

Healer Wharton really was quite the moron wasn't he?

So…Scorpius had come to my rescue. I could only hope that it meant that all things were not completely lost on that front. Maybe I could play up the sympathy card tonight and even get him to talk to me. That's all I needed after all. Just a one on one conversation in which I made it very clear that I was not in the least involved with Seven, nor had I ever been. Then maybe… Well I guess we would cross that bridge when we came to it.

The last class of the day was ending right when I got to the Slytherin Common room. I waited there in the hopes that Scorpius would come in and we could finally get this thing behind us.

He didn't come. Maybe he was at a little after class study session.

Most of the girls were upstairs getting ready for whatever date they would be going on tonight. Six and Tabby walked by me so quickly that they barely got a 'hello' out before they had disappeared up the staircase to the girls dorms. Jocelyn was a little less eager, only in that she stopped to talk for a moment before going that way as well. Apparently Gates had asked her out for Valentines. She swore that it was just as friends, which it probably was given that Gates didn't seem like the Valentine's Day kind of guy, but perhaps not. Gates wasn't exactly a horribly disfigured nose picker or anything. And Jocelyn, once you got her away from Hollace, was actually pretty cool. At least she had been since we made it clear that no simpering copy-cat shite would be acceptable. So maybe something could develop there. I would have to keep an eye out.

****

I waited a while longer, well after the common room had cleared and most everyone had either gone to dinner in the great hall or to Hogsmeade on their Valentine's dates, then headed toward the dorms. I decided a nice hot bath was what I needed. Some time alone wouldn't be so bad and my body was still a little stiff from the morning's events.

I was right. Alone bath time was just what I needed after a day like today. I even considered going to James' birthday thing. It was only seven and I would have plenty of time to get ready and head over there for an hour or so. Browsing through my wardrobe, I flicked through various jumpers but none of them really stood out. Standing there I felt my heart just wasn't really in it. I eyed the book on my nightstand. I had been trying to find time to really get into it. Maybe tonight would be the night for that. I couldn't bear the idea of seeing all of t those happy couples. The common room was bound to be deserted. Mainly first and second years and only because they weren't allowed in town. They would keep their distance, though.

I grabbed my copy of 'The Life and Times of Edna Slootinfoot', she was apparently an integral part of defeat of the great giant Slount, who had ravaged the East coast of Britain for two decades before Edna came along. Very interesting stuff, but perhaps only to me. I headed straight for the large couch in front of the fire place. My fuzzy slippers made no noise against the rough stone floor. I curled up in front of the crackling fire and delved into the world of Edna.

"Not out with your boyfriend then?" A voice I hadn't heard directed towards me in over a month spoke up just behind me.

I turned to see Scorpius standing behind the couch looking down on me with…well, I don't even know how to describe the expression. It was like concern mixed with confusion and (maybe I was being a bit wishful) hope. He continued to look down on me and I realized that he was expecting some sort of response.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I said in an offhand kind of way, as if I did not have a clue what he was talking about.

He nodded and then gestured his head toward the empty space on the end of the couch. "Mind if I…"

"Sure." I moved my feet a little closer to my body in order to give him more room. I was desperately trying to appear calm but my heart was racing and my mind was whirling. Scorpius was talking to me. This was what I had wanted all along and now that he was here I had no idea what to say. I couldn't very well open up with 'So I hear you think I was with Seven, well I'm not, you wanna snog?'

Well, I could, but then I might risk the chance of being rejected. I mean I thought he might like me but, what if I was completely off base? I was pretty sure I wouldn't recover from the humiliation.

I tried to go back to reading but I could feel him sitting there, just a foot between us. The heat from his body was rolling off of him and it made me prickle all over. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up as if I were being zapped with a wand. I couldn't help it, I looked up. Scorpius was staring at me. My heart fluttered.

"So…you're talking to me now?" I asked when I was finally able to collect my thoughts and put a sentence together. Not exactly how I wanted to start the conversation, with a snappy quip, but anything was better than the awkward silence/tension thing we'd been dealing with.

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, um…sorry about that." 

**A/N: Yay... they are finally talking again... what's to come next? Anyone care to guess? **

**So what did you think? ANy predictions on any of the other couples that are together in this chapter? **

**Thanks as always to my beta dracosgem, she rocks. And of course thanks to anyone who reads this and especially those who take the time to review. **

**Lastly I just wanted to make a small anouncement that Sproggy is going to be a big brother! YAY, so I hope to have this entire story posted before the Nugget comes along... and there are I think ten more chapters or so... so at least that will bring me to less than a month per update (if not faster).**


	23. It's About Time

Scorpius POV

"Yeah, um… sorry about that." The words sounded so hollow. What in Circe's name was I supposed to say to her?

She gazed at me with an expectant look on her face. It was clear she wanted a better explanation but I couldn't very well tell her I thought she was back with that git Deciles. Of course, if we were friends it shouldn't matter who she was with. The problem was, I didn't want to be just friends.

The silence dragged on and she eventually returned to her book, albeit reluctantly. I guess she figured I didn't plan to elaborate any further, which was true. Turning my face towards the fire, I tried to lose myself in the dancing flames. I was painfully aware of Rose's presence and I felt my breathing align with hers. I chanced a small glance in her direction and noticed that she wasn't really reading- her eyes were focused on the writing but they weren't moving- she was just staring at the page.

"I heard something interesting at the New Years Eve party," I began, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. It was a topic I felt weird discussing but, it was safer than talking about Deciles.

Rose shook her head a bit, probably in an effort to refocus and get out of her mind. She did that a lot.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"It was about your mother and my father..."

Her lips formed a small 'O' and she made an odd squeaking sound.

"I guess that means you know then?"

Rose nodded. "Is that why you haven't been talking to me?" she asked, quirking her head to the side.

I thought about saying 'yes' but that wouldn't be true so I stuck with "partially", which _was_ true, sort of. I mean, once I saw her with Seven and thought that history was repeating itself, yes that was part of the reason.

"Only partially?" she replied and cocked an eyebrow. "Any chance you can tell me the other part?"

Her eyes were glistening but not with tears, it was...well, I guess they were glistening with anticipation.

"I saw you and Seven and figured you two were back together so..." I hesitated, trying to select the right words. "...I guess I thought it would be best if I stayed out of your way."

It didn't sound too bad, right?

"Well we weren't," she shot back. "In fact, I'm pretty sure he orchestrated a plot to make you think we were together." She looked down, her eyes shifting steadily in my direction. She peered up at me through her eyelashes and I could see the blue of her irises locked in on me. "He thought that you might be trying to…"

My heart raced as she lifted her face.

"…to be with me."

A heavy silence followed the statement and we both sat there, staring into each other's eyes. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the common room and it was just me and Rose and no one else. Neither of us breathed for a few seconds.

"He was right," I whispered and my heart thudded in my chest. I was anxious yet relieved to have finally confessed what I was feeling all along. Now it was up to her to tell me if I'd been the greatest fool or if maybe, just maybe, there was a chance…

"He was right?" she repeated.

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

I didn't know it was possible for a person to move that quickly but, Rose was on me before I even got the word out. Her lips were soft against mine and I opened my mouth in mere shock. Once I was able to register what was happening, I moved my own lips in sync with hers. Though her tooth had bumped my lip in the initial 'attack' (perhaps that was too harsh a word for what had happened but, I couldn't think of any other way to describe it) the kiss was still incredible. I mean, mind blowingly incredible.

Until some cheeky second year wolf whistled. Stupid prat!

Rose extricated herself from my arms and they suddenly felt cold without her. I saw that her face was a brilliant shade of rose red and her eyes were flitting around the common room, probably in an effort to figure out who had interrupted us...or maybe it was to avoid my gaze.

"Come on," I said, rising to my feet. I rose and offered her a hand. Her dainty fingers, rough with calluses from Quidditch, threaded between mine and I escorted her out of the common room.

We found an empty classroom in which we were less comfortable but more alone. As soon as the door shut behind us, I pulled her against me and continued what we had started. My fingers worked through her damp hair and I wrapped my other arm around her slim torso. It was amazing how well we fit together, like a missing puzzle piece I'd never realized I needed. Our mouths moved in a gentle rhythm with one another and I never wanted it to end. But like all good things…

She gently shoved me away. "We should slow down." Her words came out in little breathless gasps that made me want to lunge for her again but, ever the gentleman, I restrained myself. Clenching and unclenching my fists behind my back, there was a restless ache in my hands and fingers that burned to be touch her again. Nonetheless, I nodded agreement, afraid that I might not be able to say the words.

"Scorpius?" Her sweet voice was uncertain. "What are we doing?"

Oh no! Did she regret this already? Stay calm… Stay calm… Stay calm.

"I thought that was pretty obvious?" I was able to manage a mostly level tone and gave her a small smirk for good measure.

Rose blushed, which made me want to kiss her all over again.

"I know that you cheeky pra…I mean, well…what does all of this mean? Us here, kissing?"

I took a step towards her, to which she responded by taking a step back. Okay, don't scare the girl here.

"What would you like it to mean?" I asked, taking another tentative step forward. This time she didn't back away, instead she turned her head to the side and I watched as the blush crept up her neck.

"I…I don't know," she stuttered out.

Well bloody hell!

*****

Rose's POV

So I'm a chicken. I fully admit it. I just couldn't sit there and tell him exactly what I wanted, which was he and I together. I know, ridiculous that I have enough guts to practically pounce on him but not enough to tell him how I feel...but feelings are different. Honestly, part of me wondered if it was even a good idea. Not the 'us being together part'- that I was fine with- but the 'us being together and dealing with all the drama' didn't sound appealing, not with Seven making snide comments, or playing with Miles on the team, and especially not with our parents. What would I say to my dad? I had a feeling he'd blow a gasket, what with me dating the son of his wife's ex husband.

Scorpius stood in front of me, looking a little confused. I didn't have the heart to turn my back on him and the silence was slowly beginning to kill me so I finally chanced a look at him. He was rigid but he hadn't moved and his face was as calm as ever. It was quite infuriating.

"Well aren't you going to say something?" I asked as my nerves segued to frustration.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "I just wondered what it is you're thinking..."

"I…" My mouth snapped shut. I had no idea how to respond to that. At least, nothing I wanted to vocalize.

"Personally, I think we should give this…" Scorpius gestured between the two of us. "A shot."

"You do?" I couldn't keep the hope out of my voice but I sure as shit tried.

"I do." He took another step forward and, once again we were a hairs breadth apart.

"Me too," I breathed as he leaned forward to kiss me again.

Just like the last time, my body was practically quivering in anticipation and I waited for his arms to wrap around me. This reaction was not normal. Not normal at all. I would turn into nothing but a blob of jelly if this continued and I doubted my ability to function...and this was just the beginning!

Gathering my strength, I pushed him away again but this time it was a little tricky. There was a desk behind me preventing my escape. "I think we should take this slow."

Scorpius nodded but the look in his eyes made my knees want to buckle.

"And maybe we should keep this between us for no…" I trailed off as his eyes, which were practically devouring me just seconds before, went cold.

:I...I only mean...I just think we should figure this out before we go and announce it to everyone. I want..." I turned my head away so I could get the rest out. His cold eyes made me sad and nervous all at once. "I want us to be sure that this will work before we go and upset anyone."

"What? Like your precious Seven?" Scorpius snapped.

I flinched as I had never heard that tone from him before. I slowly faced him, looking him dead in the eye and willing him to understand.

"No. Not because of Seven!" I declared. "I just, well there is the team...and Miles…"

Scorpius huffed but I pushed on. "But it's mostly because of my parents. I have a feeling this would not be the easiest news and before I go and create a bunch of turmoil I'd really like to be sure that this is not just a flash in the pan." I stared into his eyes, begging for him to understand where I was coming from.

"Is that what you think this is?" His eyes were still distant but a little softer than before.

"No, I mean, I don't know…I hope not. I don't want it to be." I reached for him and he didn't pull away. My hand slid down the length of his forearm and I clasped his hand in mine.

"So we keep this between us for how long?" he asked.

"Just until we are little more sure of…well, of us I guess."

"Okay..." He nodded slowly. "But, be warned Rose...I won't do this secret dating thing forever."

I gave him a reassuring smile. "No, not forever. Just for a little while."

I could see the green outline of his eyes brighten, which showed me he was starting to come back around. I figured his agreement deserved a kiss so I lunged for him once more. This time I did not pull away.

****

I didn't realize it was so late until I heard several voices echoing down the hallway outside our little hideout. From the volume I figured there had to be at least ten people coming back from Hogsmeade.

Crap!

Scorpius and I split apart and I pulled my shirt a little further down my belly. Running my fingers through my puffy hair, I decided it might be better to pull it back given the state it was likely in. Scorpius adjusted his shirt and tucked it back in his trousers. His lips were a little kiss swollen and I was certain mine were too. Nothing to be done about that, though.

"Um…maybe you should go first. I'll catch up in a minute," I said, turning my bottoms straight (they were a bit off center- not really sure how that happened).

"Yeah," he replied.

Scorpius gave me another quick kiss on the lips before cracking the door and sneaking into the corridor. I waited for him to put some distance between us, taking the time to think over all that had happened. Obviously we'd had a fantastical snogging session. In fact, I don't think I'd ever been kissed so intensely...and Seven had certainly tried.

Despite my disheveled appearance, we did stick to mouth exploration only. Scorpius' hands barely moved past my waist and, though it was something I agreed with mentally, it took all my will power to not to say 'fuck it all' and move his damn hand up my shirt.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I really needed to get it together before I rejoined the living. I had all the faith in the world that Scorpius would be calm and collected but that would do no good if I was smiling like a lunatic. So I worked on thinking of un-fun things…like homework and the nose-picker and how much I wanted to kick Seven's arse for trying to keep Scorpius away from me.

That did it- I scowled.

Now I was ready to enter the real world. Opening the classroom door, I peeked out. There was no one walking down the hall. Good. Now it wouldn't look too weird with me coming out of a vacant classroom. However, just as I closed the door behind me I heard Bertram's familiar voice echoing down the hallway.

"It's not like you weren't ogling that waiter!"

"Only because you couldn't keep the drool off of your chin!" Tabby's snarky tone shot back. "You know, if you wanted to be with that damned Ravenclaw you should have just asked her!"

I took this as my cue to take off and my slippered feet rushed down the hall as fast as they could. I quickly found myself in front of the Slytherin common room and I darted inside. I did not want to bear witness to a fight between those two. It did prove as further distraction though, which was even better. I felt a bit bad for Tabby though. It sounded like Bertram's crush on Dom had interfered with his romantic date with Tabs.

There were a couple of groups clustered together in the common room but it seemed most of my house had gone off to bed. I did see Miles kiss Cassie goodnight at the opening to the girls dorms. Blech! He caught my eye as he walked towards his own dorm, a satisfied smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes, hoping he wasn't dating her to get a rise out of me because: one, it wouldn't work and, two, even though Cassie was a right bitch she didn't deserve to be used like that.

Pausing, I realized I had done the very same to Miles. Maybe I should give him a little pretend jealousy…just to appease his ego or something. I'd have to be careful not to let him think there was a chance we would get back together though. Or maybe I should stop thinking that his dating Cassie had anything to do with me. He probably liked her...Merlin only knows why.

Jocelyn and Gates were in our corner with Scorpius and my heart did a little leap at the sight of him. I had to remind myself to keep the smile that was itching to break loose from spreading across my face. Since all the chairs were taken, I leaned on the arm of Jocelyn's chair, which gave me a good view of Scorpius. When Jocelyn and Gates turned to say 'Hi' Scorpius shot me a sly little wink. _Flutter._ I clenched my fists and tried to contain the elation that threatened to erupt from every pore.

Before any of us could get a word in, we all turned as Tabby and Bertram entered the room. Hell, everyone in the common room turned to watch as Tabby effectively put Bertram in his place. Though all I could really make out was a lot of nasty curse words and a slap across the face. Clearly that relationship was over…again. Maybe they had finally figured out that they weren't right for each other and would call it quits for good this time. I didn't think I could take another month of awkwardness at the dinner table.

Tabby walked straight to the girl's dormitory in a huff and Bertram wandered over to our corner in a daze.

"What'd you do?" Scorpius asked.

"Nothing," Bertram replied as he slumped against the wall.

I quirked an eyebrow at him. Hmm, must've picked that up from Scorpius.

"I might have looked over at Dominique's table a couple of times but, I swear I thought she was being harassed!" Bertram rubbed his hand over his ruddy cheek.

I didn't really know what to say to that. It was a weak excuse for checking someone out while on a date with someone else. I figured I should probably check in on Tabs. She'd had enough time to cool down by now. Usually she needed a good five minutes after a fight, otherwise you might end up the next victim of her ire.

"On that note, I think I'll go to bed," I said and rose from the arm of the chair. Jocelyn took the hint and followed my lead. As I passed by Scorpius' chair I grazed his arm with tips of my fingers. Electric was the only way to describe it.

Jocelyn told me a bit about her date with Gates while we headed to the girls dorms. She said they hadn't had much chemistry but, he was a great guy and they had a good time. At least she didn't look as pitiful as she had that morning after seeing VanBitchFace with Jason. As we entered our dorm, Jocelyn and I found Tabby flipping casually through her latest copy of M3. She was completely at ease, as if she hadn't just had a huge row with Bertram not five minutes before.

"I guess you're okay then?" I prompted.

Tabby looked up and a tiny line appeared between her brows. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She acted as though I had just asked the barmiest question in the world.

I couldn't keep the look of disbelief off my face.

"Um…maybe because you and Bertram just had a huge row..." Jocelyn piped up, her tone mirroring my incredulty.

"Oh, that! That was nothing. Just having a bit of fun." Tabby looked up from her magazine. "Now don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?" I asked, "Like you're mental? 'Cause I don't know if I can stop."

She set her magazine aside and looked me dead in the eyes.

"Okay, so the thing is, that while I find Bertram a darling, I feel that we are completely awful together," she explained. "I thought, with it being Valentine's day and all, that I ought to have a date and Bertram and I decided to give it a go. It was apparent very early on in the date that there was absolutely no chemistry between us but the poor sod has such a fragile ego so...I figured I'd play it up a bit and act like I was pissed at him for checking out that cousin of yours- which he was completely doing by the way, very rude of him I think- and he wouldn't get all sulky like he surely would if I had just came out and told him the truth."

Oh right! That made perfect sense. Um… No, no it didn't. Not at all.

"You are mental!" I said and threw a pillow at her.

"She's genius!" Jocelyn countered.

Seriously? Jocelyn was obviously just as barmy as Tabby!

"Thank you Jocelyn. I'm glad at least one of you can appreciate my abilities." Tabby smirked and then picked up her copy of M3.

"What about tomorrow, when Bertram is all sulky and trying to play nice to you to make it up?" I asked.

Her mouth spread into a wicked grin. "I might milk it for a bit...but I'll forgive him eventually. Every girl knows a little suffering is appropriate, given the whole Six fiasco."

"You are positively evil, Tabby" I proclaimed with a shake of my head.

Stalking over to my trunk, I began to get ready for bed. Now that I'd confirmed that Tabby was all right- a nutcase, but all right- my mind wandered to the boy sitting downstairs in the common room. I laid down, replaying the night over and over in my head. I was a little unsure when things slipped from memory to dream but, I woke up a few hours later to the sounds of Six, not very stealthily mind you, trying to sneak into the dorm room. I looked over at the clock and smirked. It was 3 in the morning. Rolling over, I stifled a giggle at my best friend's antics and fell back into a glorious dream involving Scorpius and an abandoned classroom. 

**A/N: FINALLY! So tell me, tell me, tell me... what did you think? Are you super duper happy? did you like how it all played out. What about them being secret? Do you think it will work? **

**And how about Tabs and Bertie... what a pair huh?**

**Thanks so much to my wonderific beta dracosgem for getting this to me even though she has been swamped at work. **

**Thanks to any of you who are left reading this, all your support has been really helpful and appreciated.**


	24. A Quaffle to the Face Means 'I Love You'

So let me start by saying that it is very…and I mean VERY hard to pretend to not be dating someone. I know in books and movies they make it look so easy but it isn't, especially when all your girlfriends know that you fancy the guy. That said, when Scorpius only gave me a curt nod at breakfast the following morning, I felt my heart plummet. I'd forgotten all about our deal to keep things under wraps and it took a very enticing game of footsie to remind me that he was no longer mad at me.

Thankfully Bertram's attempts to get back into Tabby's good graces offered up a nice distraction. I don't think anyone noticed the blush creep up my neck at the onset of my boyfriend's "foot attack", as Tabby was playing her role of the wronged girlfriend very well. By the end of breakfast poor Bertram was offering to do her homework if she would only forgive him for being a prat. I felt a little bad for him...until Dom walked by and his eyes, which were previously pleading with Tabby, suddenly diverted to her rear end. Why were boys such asses?

The rest of the day I found it very difficult not to go around smiling like some escapee from the permanent spell damage ward at St. Mungo's. I mean, I was overflowing with joy and all I wanted to do was burst out and tell everyone...but then I'd remember the sound reasons for keeping this thing quiet and I had to check myself, which afforded me a look that had Six convinced I was constipated. The only time Scorpius and I had to ourselves- respectively- was Ancient Runes. But even there we had to play it cool because Amit Singh, Al's roommate, sat directly behind us. Of course, I thought having a class with Scorpius would be wonderful. What I didn't count on was the rush of electricity that would pulse between us whenever we leaned in a little too close. I was practically covered in gooseflesh the entire lesson!

There was one benefit though- the snog sessions were positively delicious. I don't know if it was because Scorpius was an amazing kisser or because we seemed to fit together perfectly or maybe it was because we had to keep it a secret...all I did know was that it rocked. The excitement of doing something that no one else was privy to curled my toes.

We kept mostly to the original classroom from Valentine's Day, but the Quidditch locker room was proving an excellent place as well. Once practices were over and everyone else rushed out, as they normally would...well, let's just say the showers weren't the only thing creating steam in that locker room. I'll admit, that sounded much dirtier than it actually was. We were keeping everything above board for the most part, or rather, above clothes. I was quite determined to take things slow. There was too much at stake to risk rushing into anything.

That week we had spent much of our time gearing up for the Puffer match. Although Buster was a good Keeper, the rest of his team wasn't worth much. However, I could be biased. Well, okay, I'm definitely biased but Slytherin was going to kick their badger asses. Practices were much smoother now that Scorpius and I were on speaking terms. I mean, we were still trying to play it cool but there was no point in him ignoring me any further. Besides, I was pretty sure that no one on the team had even paid us any mind. Miles was with Cassie so he needn't concern himself with me…right?

Cassie and Miles though…now that was a big practice dampener. Cassie was always a right twat but now that she was with Miles it was like the sun shone out his bum. Whenever someone criticized his talent she went into complete bitch mode. Of course, now that Miles had her backing him up he seemed to grow a bit more bite himself and would often shoot snarky comments at Scorpius. I wanted to punch him in the face when he told Scorpius that 'maybe if he weren't such a shoddy Seeker he wouldn't have to worry so much about keeping at 100%'. Instead, I nailed him in the nose with the quaffle on our next go round. We had to stop practice but it was totally worth it- even with Cassie's devil glare piercing holes in my head. If she wanted a fight I was game-I definitely wouldn't mind nailing her with a quaffle either.

"You know Rose, you can't go around breaking our Keeper's nose every time he takes a shot at me. I'm a big boy, I can handle myself."

The locker room was empty except for me and Scorpius. He was removing his quidditch robes as he lectured me for knocking out our Keeper.

"I guess I don't know my own strength." I shrugged out of my own robes.

His eyes jerked sideways at my movement and roamed over my body. I could feel his gaze as if it were his hands and the red crept up my neck and burned into my cheeks. In less than five steps he was on me, our limbs and bodies melded together. I couldn't tell where he ended and I began- all I could feel was heat. It was pure bliss. Yet, just as quickly as it started, it was over. Scorpius was across the room before I could even protest and when I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong I was quickly interrupted by a loud voice echoing through the locker room.

"You have a lot of nerve Weasley!"

I turned to see Cassie standing behind me, eyes narrowed in an evil glare and arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm sorry…what?" I asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me! Miles is with me now and your jealous rages are unacceptable."

I choked back a laugh. Jealous? Was she kidding?

She turned her glare on Scorpius. "Are you going to do anything about this? Or are you just going to let her get away with trying to take out our Keeper?"

"Cassie, don't you think you're overreacting here?" Socrpius replied. "I don't think Rose meant to hit him with the Quaffle. Maybe if Miles…"

"Don't you dare blame Miles for this. This was all her!" She stubbed a finger at me as if it were a wand, which prompted me to snag mine from my Quidditch robes now rumpled on the floor. Just in case...

"Look Cassie," I interjected, "it really was an accident. Miles will be fine and I'll be sure to apologize to him later." Maybe I shouldn't have rolled my eyes at the end of the statement.

"You BITCH! Don't you dare go near Miles. EVER!" She started to advance on me but Scorpius stepped in between us, which was probably for the best because, if he hadn't he'd have been short one chaser. I'm not sure which of us would have come out on top but it would have been a bloody battle no matter what.

"Cassie, I need you to calm down." Scorpius leveled his gaze with hers.

"Me?" she spluttered. "I need to calm down? I'm not the one aiming Quaffles at a fellow teammate!"

"No, you're the one going batshit crazy on a fellow teammate who accidently hit your boyfriend." I chimed in. I probably should learn to keep my mouth shut but, honestly the girl needed to be told.

"Not helping Rose," Scorpius groused as he held back a flailing Cassie.

"Sorry," I mumbled, but only to Scorpius. I was not the least bit sorry that Miles got hit nor was I sorry that Cassie was pissed off.

"Cassie, I'll talk to Rose, okay? Now I'm sure Miles will be fine and I'm also sure it wasn't done on purpose. Why don't you go see to our Keeper, alright?" His placating tone was a calming drought and Cassie, though not completely mollified, was much cooler than she had been.

"Fine," she relented, "but she better not try that shite again or I swear you will be short one Chaser, Malfoy." Whipping around- her ponytail hitting my boyfriend in the face- Cassie waddled/stormed out of the locker room.

I let out a sigh of relief once I was sure she was gone. "That was close," I murmured, then batted my eyelashes. "So...is this where I get my talking to?"

Scorpius' face split into an infuriatingly seductive smirk. "Oh, I'll give you a talking to, alright."

He lunged at me and I started running, laughing as he chased me around benches and in between lockers. When Scorpius finally caught up to me, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and lifted me up off the ground. His hot breath tickled the skin of my neck and I broke out in gooseflesh for the hundredth time that week. All I could feel, see, smell, taste and hear was Scorpius. I was a starved woman and he was my sustenance. Indeed, I'd lost all sense before Cassie tromped into the locker room, which was precisely why I missed hearing her in the first place. Damn-it, the things this boy did to me.

On the day of the match I got to the locker room twenty minutes early, hoping to catch Scorpius before everyone else came in. He wasn't there yet, so I began to get ready, pulling on my kit and robes while I waited for him to show. I was nearly dressed when I heard the door to the locker room open and I spun around, prepared to give him guff for being late.

"I thought you'd never get here!" My eyes widened and I felt my mouth go dry. Miles, not Scorpius, stood there looking smug- it was enough to give me a heart attack.

"I didn't know you were waiting for me," he replied.

I turned away from him and started shoving my things into my locker, hoping he couldn't see the rosy red color of my cheeks.

"Uh- yeah…I um, wanted to…to apologize for yesterday," I stammered. "It was an accident."

I did tell Scorpius that I would make amends, so it wasn't exactly a lie. I heard Miles coming towards me but I was too embarrassed to face him.

"No it wasn't." His voice was smooth, not menacing or defiant- not like someone who was mad about having his face smashed in. I swiveled around and blinked up at him in surprise- he was practically on top of me!

"Y-yes, yes it was," I fumbled, feeling a little unsettled. How the hell did he know? I mean, I wasn't that obvious, was I?

"It's okay Rose," Miles rejoined. "I know why you did it and I'm glad you did."

Huh? What was he talking about?

"You're glad that I broke your nose?" I wrinkled my brows in confusion.

"Well, no, not that part," he said dryly, "but I won't deny I'm glad you've finally come around."

"Come around?" I gulped.

"C'mon Rose. We both know why you're so angry. And like I said, I'm glad."

"You are?" I couldn't believe it. Miles was glad that I hit him in the face because he insulted my boyfriend?

"Yes, very glad."

He took a step closer and I felt the need to step back. Unfortunately, there was no where to step back to. My shoulders hit the lockers behind me with a loud clang and I shivered at how cold the metal felt through my robes.

"It's okay Rose," Miles reassured, "there's no reason to be afraid."

"I'm not, but would you mind…" I was going to ask him to back the hell up but my mouth was suddenly invaded by his wet tongue. It took me less than a nano-second to realize what was going on and, when I did, I pushed him away from me. It didn't accomplish much- the boy is pretty bulky- but it did manage to remove his lips from mine.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I screamed.

"I thought that was fairly obvious, Rose," Miles drawled, "I'm giving you what you want."

"What I want? What in bloody hell made you think I want you to kiss me?"

He took a step back, eyeing my horrified face in displeasure. "But...you...you hit me with the Quaffle!"

"Yeeesss, by acc-i-dent." I slowed my speech, as if I were talking to a three year old.

"That was no accident, Rose."

"Yes Miles, it was. And don't you have a girlfriend?" I crossed my arms over my chest, eyes blazing with anger and frustration

"No, I mean, not really. I was only dating Cassie to make you jealous and it clearly worked- you threw a Quaffle at me." His tone was less certain and he took another step back.

"No, genius, I threw a Quaffle towards a hoop that you were guarding, your face just got in the way." Not entirely true but I wasn't about to tell him the real reason.

"Well it didn't feel that way to me."

"I can't imagine how you can tell much a difference seeing as you were practically knocked out!" I cried in aggravation. "Now, if you don't mind I'd like to…" I trailed off as I took a step around him and saw, to my absolute and utter horror, that Scorpius, Cassie, and the rest of the team were standing in the doorway. Scorpius was unreadable, as always, but Cassie looked fit to be tied. Her face was a shocking shade of puce, her fists were balled at her sides and her eyes were huge.

Just friggin' great! With a sigh, I continued onto the field, not bothering to wait around and witness Miles' reaction to being caught red handed.

I vaguely heard Scorpius say, "Okay everyone, we have a game to play," followed by a slammed locker but all noise was wiped out by the respective cheering and booing of the crowd as I entered the field.

"I'm gonna get you Weasley!" A sharp voice hissed in my ear. To my astonishment, it wasn't Cassie but her friend Eleanor and, I gotta be honest, I was a little scared. The quiet ones are almost always the most dangerous.

Cassie came up and stood beside Eleanor, her eyes a bit puffy and watery. She did a terrific job of maintaining her composure. She just stared straight ahead, even when Miles came out and stood at the other end of the lineup. He was clearly keeping distance between himself and Cassie, or perhaps Eleanor...or maybe even me. Probably all three, come to think of it. If he were smart he would steer clear of Scorpius as well, though I knew he wasn't…smart, I mean.

Madam Chambers came onto the field and we faced the Hufflepuffs with brooms in hand. She gave one sharp blow to her whistle and I heard a growl come from Eleanor's direction before I shot into the sky and made a play for the Quaffle. I lost out to Cassie, who was flying with such fierceness you never would have thought that, just moments ago her 'boyfriend' had made a play for someone else. Eleanor, on the other hand, decided that instead of staying in formation, she'd knock me off my broom by 'accidently' rushing into me while making a play for the Quaffle.

Okay, so I know I thought that Cassie was nuts, and part of me still does, but this Eleanor girl is truly batshit INSANE! Totally certifiable. I spent the entire game avoiding my own teammate, not to mention the Bludgers aimed my way by the damn Hufflepuffs. It was horrid, especially since Miles was keeping like a first year who'd just gotten his broom. At this point, we needed all the help we could get. Thankfully we were saved a complete defeat when Scorpius caught the snitch just before Hufflepuff scored; something that, if achieved, would have ended up in a tie. Instead, we managed to edge them out with a score of 240 to 230.

Even still, there was no joy in our victory as our team plodded back to the locker rooms. It was as if we had lost instead. All I heard was the sound of kits being removed, lockers being opened and shut, brooms being clipped. No one spoke and no one looked up – well, at least I didn't.

The Beaters were the first to leave. Then, from beneath my lashes I saw Scorpius head into the office and shut the door behind him. It was just me, Cassie, Eleanor and Miles. I definitely needed to make an escape...and how. If only my damn pads weren't so hard to get off! As I finally freed myself from the last elbow pad, I threw it in my locker and made a bee-line for the door.

"Not so fast Weasley!" It was Eleanor. I didn't need to turn around to see the scowl on her face but I did anyway.

"What?" I asked resignedly.

"You are a BITCH! And I believe that I will take great pleasure in kicking your arse." She stood up from her seated position on the bench and I could see Miles on the sidelines, watching as if it weren't all his fault. I mean, yes I hit him with a Bludger, but in what world does that translate to 'please kiss me'.

It was Cassie, to my great surprise, who grabbed Eleanor by the wrist and asked in a subdued voice - one that I would hardly have recognized as belonging to her - to 'stay out of it'.

"But Cass, she…"

"She did nothing. It's him," she pointed at Miles who flinched in response, "who should get his arse kicked."

Eleanor looked as if her favorite toy had been taken away from her. She shot me a scowling look before turning her hatred on Miles. I took that as my cue to leave so when I heard a stinging hex being shouted out, I ignored it and kept right on going.

I decided to avoid the common room as I was not in a celebratory mood. Even though the victory had been weak, there was sure to be a celebration nonetheless. I settled on wandering aimlessly through the halls and not really focusing on much of anything. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to be as far away from Miles Flynn as possible.

"Rough game." A familiar voice rang out behind me and I slowed to let James catch up. He was looking a little thin, and there were dark circles under his eyes. No doubt due to Adrianna.

"How was your birthday?" I asked, feeling bad that I'd been so distracted by my relationship with Scorpius I had completely blown off his birthday.

James shrugged.

"Did Jasper not bring Ade?"

"Oh, no, he brought her," James stated sourly. "He brought her and proceeded to grope her repeatedly. If it hadn't been for Molly and Lucy, Jasper Hart would've spent the past week in the hospital wing.

"Molly and Lucy?"

"They said it would be better to get even rather than angry. Brilliant girls, those two." James gave me a half smirk that almost made him look cheerful.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not. Let's just say that Jaspers hands won't be able to roam for a while."

I shook my head in amusement, wondering if he had tried to talk to Adrianna. "James...have you tried…"

"I've tried everything." His tone was so hopeless it made me want to cry. Stupid, stupid James Potter.

"What I was going to ask was, have you tried telling her how you feel?" I continued, knowing full well he hadn't.

"Well…no. But how am I supposed to do that when she won't come near me?" He stopped walking and sagged against the wall.

"What about writing to her?" I suggested.

"She just tears it up."

"Well, you'll think of something," I said and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah," he replied in the same, melancholy tone before pushing off of the wall and strolling along beside me. We walked in companionable silence and it wasn't until we got to the fourth floor corridor, just past a picture of a witch painting a large red canvas that James suddenly stopped and seemed to brighten.

I looked at him questioningly, but all I got for a response was, "Bloody brilliant!" before he shot down the hall shouting, "Thanks Rosie! I'll see you later."

I called after him, asking what in the world he thought he was doing, but all I got was a faint, "You'll see" in response.

Heaving a large sigh, I rubbed my hand across my face and trudged back down towards the dungeons. I was pretty sure I did not want to know.

**A/N: Thanks for your patience. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So all those Miles lovers? WHo wants to kick him in the face a litte? What do you think Scorpius is going to say to all this? What about what James is going to do? Any ideas?**

**As always thanks so much for reading and reviewing. And special thanks to my wonderful beta dracosgem.**


	25. James' Brilliant Idea and More

I was minding my own business, walking along an empty corridor, when I was suddenly grabbed from behind. My mouth was covered with a large, callused hand and I squirmed as I was dragged into a familiar classroom. The door slammed shut behind us and my captor let me go. Turning to wail on him, I stopped short when I saw it was only Scorpius. I wasn't sure why I hadn't figured it out in the first place...probably because he hadn't showered yet. I had gotten used to the clean, soapy scent typically associated with my boyfriend.

"What were you doing, scaring the living hell out of me like that?"

"A better question is, what the hell were you doing kissing Miles Flynn?" He wore the same, blank expression he'd donned during the 'horrid locker room incident', which is what I'd decided to call it.

"Scorpius, you know I didn't want to kiss him!" I rejoined, my face flushing with entreaty.

His expression remained stony just long enough to make my hands itch. What if he didn't believe me? What if he was going to chuck me now? It had been less than a week and I already knew I didn't want to lose him, especially not over Miles Flynn. But after a moment, Scorpius' face broke into his patented smirk and I let out a sigh of relief.

Then I smacked him.

"Hey," he groused, rubbing his injured bicep, "what was that for?"

"That was for making me think you were going ditch me." I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a delicious kiss on his mouth.

"And that?" he asked in a playful tone.

"I needed to get the taste of Miles out of my mouth," I teased and flashed him an evil grin.

"You know, if everyone knew about us, things like that wouldn't happen," he pointed out.

I did know, and as much as I wanted to shout from the top of the Astronomy Tower that I was with Scorpius Malfoy, a small part of me knew I still wasn't ready yet.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not ready," I said, looking down at the mud caking my trainers.

"Okay Rose, but like I said before…I won't wait forever." He pushed me away and, for a moment I thought he was upset with me, but then he pulled me against him and kissed me squarely on the mouth.

My breath caught and my heart rate sped. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to Scorpius' kisses but I was sure as hell going to try. As they say, practice makes perfect.

****

We eventually had to break up the snogging and head back to the common room. Skipping out wasn't an option, not with a win to celebrate. It didn't matter how crap arsed the game was played, we'd be expected to attend.

Tabby gave me a questioning look as we breezed through the door but I ignored her and plopped into my usual seat. Gates quirked an eyebrow at Scorpius as well but he disregarded his friend's unspoken query. It wasn't that weird for us to walk in together. We were on the same team, for Circe's sake! Besides, we hadn't completely ignored each other these last couple of months- I do recall a few 'could you pass the potatoes' spoken in their presence.

I looked around. The party was in full swing, though it wasn't up to Slytherin's usual standards. I guess they could sense the crappy loss as much as us. I felt a crawly feeling on the back of my neck and turned to find Eleanor glaring at me, her arm wrapped protectively around Cassie. The latter looked quite pitiful and I felt a little bad for her. Who would have thought Miles could be such a jerk? Incidentally, the tosser was nowhere to be found, which was probably for the best. As it was, I just might deck him myself. Someone needed to after what he'd done. Our team was completely torn apart because of him.

"So what was with Eleanor gunning for you?" Bertram asked. It was clear by the look on everyone's faces that they had been waiting to find out.

Groaning in exasperation, I swept my fingers through my ratty hair and they got stuck. "Miles kissed me before practice," I grumbled.

"But I thought he was dating Cassie!" Jocelyn cried.

"He was...and for some reason, Eleanor thinks it's my fault." I shook my head and sighed. "Very protective of her friend, that girl."  
From the corner of my eye, I saw Tabby eyeing Scorpius in speculation. For his part, he seemed to give nothing away. I knew damn well he was aggravated with Miles but his expression was as indifferent as ever. I had to hand it to him- he really had quite the knack for keeping his feelings in check. I would have to take lessons from him, learn to do the same. Turning my head, I locked eyes with Tabby. Great, now she was studying me! Bloody observant bint was sure to catch on- nothing ever got past her.

"Well, I'm going to get cleaned up and call it a night." I rose from my chair, eager to escape from my friend's unwavering gaze.

As I headed towards the girl's dormitory, I caught a whiff of my clothing and wrinkled my nose. I smelled pretty rank and I wasn't sure how Scorpius could stand to be close to me when I looked and smelled this bad. Maybe his olfactory glands didn't work or something. Eh, he was probably immune, what with being a bloke and living with Thad, who likely kept the dorm wreaking of sweaty socks and aftershave.

My body was slow and achy as I trudged up the stairs, desperate to get a steaming shower and work the kinks out of my shoulders. I took my time getting clean and, afterward, looked forward to getting to sleep. I should be so lucky. As I turned into the room, I found Tabby sitting on my bed wearing an incisive look. My body immediately tensed and all the work the hot water had done to relax my muscles evaporated.

"So, what's going on with you and Scorpius?" she asked bluntly.

Leave it to Tabby not to beat around the bush.

Turning away, I rummaged through my trunk for my jammies and tried to hide my blushing face. "I don't know what you mean."

"Bullshit," she spat. "Spill it Rose. You know you can't hide anything from me- from everyone else maybe- but not me."

I knew I couldn't search through my trunk for forever so I grabbed my warm flannels and gave Tabby a pointed look. "Promise you won't tell?" I asked.

Her expression was dogged and said, 'when have I ever told anyone anything?' This was true- if there was one person I could trust not to spill my secret, it was Tabby.

I started dressing and finally caved. "Okay, so Scorpius and I are together, but it's a secret alright? I can't have any more tension on the team then there already is, not to mention the tension this is sure to cause with my family, so you can't tell anyone Tabby. No one, got it?"

"Yeah I get it, you crazy bint," she grunted. "Now tell me everything."

Hunkering together on my bed, we closed the curtains, cast a silencing charm, and I launched into the whole story.

"Well it's about damn time!" Tabby declared once I completed my tale.

Blushing, I yawned and sent her packing so I could get a little shut eye. It was nice to have one person to talk to, though. At least I wouldn't have to keep it all to myself. I hated secrets and I hoped that, if things continued with Scorpius, we wouldn't have to keep it to ourselve much longer. Just another couple of months, that's all I needed...

****

The next few days passed without any further drama. Well, other than Eleanor shooting me dirty looks, Cassie walking around like a zombie, and Miles ditching meal times and practices. He informed Scorpius that he was sick. Yeah right...

We were sitting at breakfast the following Thursday- the owl post had just swooped in and delivered a letter from mum- when a loud bang exploded through the Great Hall. A hundred pairs of eyes snapped to attention, trying to decipher where the noise had come from. It didn't take long to figure out. For there, at the Ravenclaw table- in front of Ade no less- was a large red envelope that had burst to life.

"DAMN IT ADRIANNA! STOP IGNORING ME. I AM GOING CRAZY OVER HERE! DON'T YOU KNOW I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU? DITCH THAT PLANK JASPER AND TALK TO ME!"

As the Howler finished its tirade, it immediately tore itself up and the whole room burst out laughing. The hysteria was accompanied by shouts, woops, and a good amount of applause. Adrianna looked mortified- her face would put a Weasley Red to shame. I looked at James, who had obviously written the note, and saw him staring at her intently. Or, at least he was until Jasper punched him in the face. And that's when all hell broke loose. The Gryffindor faction of Weasley/Potter's jumped to my cousin's defense, which resulted in more woops, hollers, and clapping. The professors threw up various shield charms and tried to make their way to the center of the throng to break up the fight.

Through all of this, no one seemed to notice Adrianna running out of the room. Well, no one but me, Dom and Bertram. Bertram and I got up and ran after her, following the shouts of 'bastard!' coming from a corridor on our right. We caught up to Dom and Ade by one of the suits of armor. Its helmet creaked as it turned in our direction and I shivered. Those things could definitely creep me out sometimes.

"I cannot believe your cousin!" Ade screeched, rounding on me and Dom.

"Really Adrainna?" my cousin retorted. "You really didn't expect something like this? How long have you known James?"

"She's got a point Ade," I backed her up. "This is James. He was bound to do something stupid to get your attention."

"He's a wanker," Bertram chimed in.

Ade turned on her brother. "No he isn't!" Her eyes grew wide and she clamped a hand over her mouth, clearly surprised by her own response.

"See, you're not really even mad at him!" Dom pointed out. "So just put us out of our misery and make up with the poor sod...or make out, whatever suits your fancy." She smirked at her clever play on words.

It was certainly worth a good eye roll.

"I'm too mad at him to do either!" Ade clenched her fists in aggravation.

"Fine, you're mad at him," I reasoned, "but that doesn't mean you don't care about him." Throwing an arm around her shoulder, I rubbed Ade's bicep in consolation. "He's been your best friend for years and he just confessed to being in love with you which, if you ask me, has been long over do. I mean, I've known the git has fancied you since we were twelve. But that's not the point...the point is, what're you going to do about it?"

"I'm with Jasper," she said weakly.

"Pu-lease," Dom broke in, "you've been complaining about him for weeks."

"That doesn't mean…"

Bertram suddenly spoke up. "Listen Ade, I'll admit I don't like James very much. In fact, I think he's an immature tosser, but don't be an idiot. He's obviously mental about you and I know you feel the same way. So forget about your stupid pride and give the bloke a chance so we can all live in peace!"

Ade and I gawked at him with our mouths open. Bertram had never been the assertive type, not even with his own family.

Flashing his sister a pointed look, he began to lope back towards the Great Hall but paused before turning the corner. "That said, if he hurts you again it will be my great pleasure to hex off his man bits." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared into an adjacent corridor.

It was a good thing I had no food or drink in my mouth because I would have spit it out. I mean, Bertram using the term "man bits" was enough to make a camel wet themselves. I looked at Dom, who was staring in Bertram's direction with an appreciative look on her face, and groaned inwardly. The last thing any of us needed was the Ravenclaw Heartbreaker making a play for poor Bertram.

"He's right you know," she spoke up, finally tearing her eyes from the adjacent corridor.

I nodded in agreement and Ade blushed, shrugged, and promptly burst into tears. I blew out a heavy breath- this was going to be a long day. Dom and I flanked our friend and led her away from the corridor that was sure to fill up once breakfast was over. We tromped towards the Ravenclaw common room but halted when we saw James being led down the hallway by Fred, his right eye swollen shut and his lower lip split open. He also seemed to favor his left leg and I noticed a large gash just under his knee. Ade's face, which was red and puffy from crying, lost all color when she saw the state of him. And after a moment of shocked silence, she broke away from us and raced to his side. The last thing I saw before they rounded the corner was a broad, if pained grin, on my cousin's face.

"Well that looks promising," Dom commented as we headed down the corridor. The rest of the students had finished their breakfast and the hallways slowly started filling up with gossiping chits, all discussing what had just occurred in the Great Hall. People kept shooting Dom and I looks as we walked down the hallway, as if we'd had anything to do with what had gone on.

"So, Bertram's looking pretty fit these days," she remarked.

"Oh, no!" I cried and held up a hand. "Please do not make a play for poor Bertram. Dom, he wouldn't survive your intrigue."

She looked at me innocently and I lifted a brow. "Seriously? You know you won't last more than a week at best and where will that leave me?" I crossed my arms in frustration. "I'll tell you where- stuck listening to him whinging on about how much he loves you and how you broke his poor, wittle Slytherin heart! Please, please, please don't do this to me Dom." I paced back and forth as I rattled on, hoping to Merlin she'd listen to me. "And what about Ade, huh? She's your best friend- how would she feel if you preyed on her brother like that?"

"And what makes you think we wouldn't be perfect together?" Dom rejoined, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I mean, did you hear how he told Ade to go after what she wanted? He wasn't angry or unreasonable, he was in total control. Plus, it's not like I'd be his first girlfriend. The way I hear it, he's broken just as many hearts as I have this year! There was that girl with the green hair and then Six…so why am I inevitably going to be the bad guy?" Dom looked genuinely hurt by my outburst but, truthfully, it was hard to feel bad for her.

"Because Dom, that's what you do," I shot back. "You hold interest for maybe a minute at best and then you leave a trail of tears in your wake. Do you remember Warrington last year? He stalked you for two months post break-up- you had to sick your dad on him to get him to leave you alone!"

She rolled her eyes. "Your exaggerating, Rose! And it wasn't my dad, it was Teddy. All he did was tell the guy to lay off, he didn't threaten him or anything."

"Ugh!" I groaned. "Fine, do whatever but I'm not responsible for the aftermath of your hunger. And if Bertram comes crying to me, I swear I will tell the whole school you used to practice making out with pillows."

"Nothing's going to happen!" Dom argued. "All I said was that he was fit. Merlin's Pants, Rose! And if you ever tell anyone about my experimental proclivities I'll be forced to tell them you ate your bogeys!" She shot me a victorious look before whipping around and sashaying towards her classroom.

"I did not! It was only one time and it was an accident!" I shouted after her. She made no attempt to turn around, she just continued her walk, hair swishing in time with her hips.

Damn cousins!

****

The weeks passed and Scorpius and I were doing really well. In fact, it was almost too good to be true and that made me nervous. My first couple of months with Seven were fraught with drama so I wasn't sure if this was normal or not. I mean, I only had my parent's relationship to go on and they argued all the time. Part of me felt I could fall in love with Scorpius but, another part told me I was crazy. We had only been dating a little over a month and I hadn't told Seven I loved him until we were together for eight months. With that in mind, I decided I would take the Easter Holiday to decide what to do about our relationship. After that, we could either go public or end it. I really had no idea which. Not because I didn't want to be with him but, because nothing could possibly be this easy. There had to be something innately wrong with us if we got on this well.

Mum had written informing me that we were coming home for the week, which was rather unusual for our lot. Apparently Dom and the rest of the clan had been given the same message. Probably some surprise announcement. Maybe Victoire and Teddy were engaged, or pregnant, or she killed him in his sleep. It could go any way with those two.

I spent the weeks leading up to the break trying to keep Bertam away from my cousin, which was proving rather difficult. She was a sneaky one, that Dominique. I caught her in the Slytherin common room one Friday night and she said she was looking for me but, when I walked in I saw her fingers running through Bertram's curls and his face aflush like I had never seen. It was partly my fault for taking time to be with Scorpius but it was so hard to stop kissing him! Like really, really hard. That was another thing that made me nervous- I felt so out of control when I was with him! I lost all sense of time. That couldn't be healthy, right? That was when I made the decision to keep our sessions to a minimum. I couldn't afford to lose that much time and not have it look suspicious. Not until we were out in the open. Or not, depending on what I decided over break.

Part of me couldn't believe I was even thinking of ending things because they really were that great. But I'm a realist or, at least I think I am. Perfect and Rose Weasley just didn't make sense.

****

March 31st came more quickly than I would have thought possible. We were let out mid-day and those that were going home went straight to the station. Scorpius always went home over Easter Hols. Apparently, spending Easter with the Malfoy's was family tradition or, as Scorpius put it, 'catering to Grandmother Malfoy'. From the sound of it, she was quite the shrew.

Scorpius joined me in the compartment with Dom, Al, James and Fred. We were friends and being seen together was completely acceptable, though we made sure to sit across from one another rather than side by side. It was best. I probably wouldn't have been able to keep my hands to myself anyway...and I know I wouldn't have wanted Scorpius to either.

James and Fred gave Scorpius some shit at first but nothing too mean spirited, mostly anti-any-boy-who-is-hanging-out-with-their-cousin type crap. Scorpius took it in stride and they eventually figured that he was harmless. As it was, we were barely making eye contact for fear of giving ourselves away. Al- who'd made better friends with Scorpius while sitting next to him in Potions than I realized- took over most of the conversation, which left me with the task of convincing Dom not to ask Bertram out when we got back from break.

I tried to ask James what was going on with him and Ade, seeing as they'd been seen practically attached at the hip since 'the incident', but he only shrugged me off. According to Dom, she couldn't get any information from Ade on the subject either. No one had seen them being any more intimate than what they had been when they were best friends. Could they be keeping their relationship a secret? I couldn't understand how there was much point in that. I mean, James did declare himself publicly, for Circe's sake.

All in all the ride wasn't unbearable. Especially in light of the post loo incident. As usual, it sounds much dirtier than it really was. Mostly it consisted of Scorpius standing outside the toilets and stealing a kiss when no one was looking. I indulged him for a moment, relishing his taste, and it left my heart fluttering and my fingers itching to touch him. And although I wanted nothing more than to drag him into the bathroom and take full advantage of having him to myself, I cut the kiss short- couldn't risk having anyone see us.

"Owl me?" he whispered. The train had pulled into the station and I was exiting the compartment, headed towards the chaos that was my family. Nodding discretely, I gave him a dazzling smile and slipped away.

****

My family was swarming the platform. Everyone was there except Nana Weasley, Grandad, Vic, and Teddy but, when you had two hundred other relatives, what difference did four make? Mum and Dad were standing off to the side with Uncle Harry, watching Aunt Ginny pull Lily away from Lorcan and Lysander. I wondered what Lily had done that made my aunt feel the need to pull her away but, after a moment I realized I really didn't care.

"Meet us at the Burrow?" Ginny panted as Lily squirmed to face the Scamander twins behind her.

"See you there," mum said as she led us off the platform and through the barrier.

"Aren't we going home first?" I asked.

"No, we'll be staying at the burrow for the week," mum replied cryptically. "Your Nana needs all the help she can get." Her words were faint and she was facing forward but I heard well enough to get the meaning in her statement. Something was wrong with Nana Molly.

"What's wrong with Nana?" Hugo piped up, clearly brave enough to ask.  
"Nothing dear, nothing at all." Despite her reassurance, mum's breakneck pace out of the station was hardly enough to convince me. In fact, I didn't believe her at all. 

**A/N: So what do you think Rose is going to decide over break? What do you think is happening that the whole family needs to be there? What is up with James and Ade? And what about Bertram and Dom? **

**Let me know what you think as I am not sure since I did not get much feedback last chapter. **

**Thanks for reading though and thanks to Dracosgem for being my awesome beta.**


	26. The Inner Workings of Malfoy Manor

Scorpius POV

I could still taste her on my lips as I exited the train.

I watched Rose follow the rest of her over-large family and then turned and headed towards the exit. Since I'd gotten my apparition license over the Christmas break, I wasn't expecting anyone to meet me at the station so I decided to take my time and walk around London.

My fingers kept searching my lips as I wandered through the streets, I suppose in hopes of finding her there. Our kisses were as exhilarating as the first, if not more brief. Lately Rose had been cutting our time together shorter and shorter and, I'll admit it had me worried. I knew for me there was no question about us being together but, what if she didn't feel the same way? Nothing, in essence, appeared to be different when we were together but there was a new distance there that I couldn't place. It was a feeling I got, a feeling that made me very nervous.

The air was damp but I didn't feel it or even notice that the sky had gone from dusky grey to a dark charcoal. The rain was coming down in heavy rivulets and one large drop hit me square in the eye, breaking me out of my reverie. I realized that it was late and it was probably best if I headed home.

When I arrived at the Manor I snuck up to my room, thankful that I reached the door without running into anyone. I needed time to prepare for any interaction with my family. I was surprised when I walked inside and found my mother sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at the framed photo that usually sat on my dresser. It was one of me when I was a little less than a year old. Mother and Aunt Daphne were sitting on a sofa, Mother holding me and Daphne with new born Bertram in her arms and Ade at her side.

"Hello," I said warily, unsure of the mood she'd be in.

She jerked in surprise but quickly collected herself. In her usual fashion, she plastered on what was meant to be a warm smile but, unlike the one in the picture, it looked as though it was painfully affixed to her face.

"Scorpius, nice of you to come home." She carefully placed the frame back on the nightstand. "Dinner will be at eight. Try not to be late; your grandmother would be displeased." And with that she rose, brushed the wrinkles from her blouse and skirt, and walked briskly out of my room.

"Ugh!" I groaned as I collapsed on my bed. Mother, not often the type to be loose, was in her "Grandmother Malfoy" stiff mode already. This week was going to be torture and, to top it all off, I had my relationship with Rose to worry about.

****

I arrived to the meal promptly at seven fifty-five. Mother was already seated at her end of our overlarge, over-formal dining table. She smiled as I walked in- a smile of genuine thanks- and I noted that it was a good look for her. It wasreally a shame she didn't do it more often. Grandmother was punctual as always, coming in on the clock's eighth chime with Grandfather following lifelessly at her heals.

"Ah, Scorpius, nice to see your mother was able to get you to dinner on time."

Grandmother Malfoy definitely had a way with words. I looked over at Mother and saw that she was as dignified as ever, if a bit stiff.

Rising from the table, I scurried over to help my Grandmother to her seat. "Nice to see you too, Grandmother." I pulled the chair away from the table and kissed her cheek once she had settled in. Grandfather pulled out his own chair and acknowledged me with a barely perceptible nod.

The four of us sat in uncomfortable silence as we waited for Father's arrival. Grandmother would make an occasional huff but, thankfully didn't comment on his tardiness. Of course, Father could do no wrong in her eyes so it was really no surprise. Finally, at eight o'nine Father strode into the dining room.

"Mother," he said as he went over to kiss her cheek.

"Draco dear, you look exhausted!" she cried, her face twisting in displeasure. "You must'nt work so hard all the time. Of course, I'm certain if you had someone who could organize this mess of a house, you would have more time to spare for yourself." The backhandedness of my grandmother's comments were quite the artform.

"The house is run just fine, Mother," Father rejoined. "I thank you for your consideration but I believe Astoria has it in hand."

I'll say one thing for my father, he might not be the most affectionate of men- especially where mother was concerned- but at least he stood up for her.

"Hmm," was all we got from Grandmother.

The salad magically appeared on the china and the tense silence was broken by the sounds of chewing and forks clanging against the plates.

"So Scorpius, how is your sixth year proceeding? Are you top of your class?" The games had already begun. I finished chewing before responding to phase one of the Malfoy Inquisition, as I knew there'd be more to follow.

"Sixth year is going well, thank you," I stated carefully, "although I'm not quite sure where I stand at the moment. Sometimes Rose Weasley is in top seat, sometimes it's me, though Bertram gives a rather good showing as well." I wiped my mouth and dug back into my salad, knowing I would need as much nourishment as possible in light of the coming interrogation.

"Bertram," she repeated, looking less than pleased, "as in your cousin? Wasn't his father a Hufflepuff?"

Grandmother knew very well that he was- she just loved to dig into mother about it.

"I'm surprised he can compete with my Scorpius," she continued. "Perhaps you aren't trying as hard as you should, especially if that Half-Blood Weasley can get a one up on you."

I clenched my hands beneath the table and tried to keep a straight face. It was difficult considering her calculated vindictiveness.

"Rose is quite brilliant, as is Bertram," I retorted. "I'm not ashamed to be grouped with either of them." Thankfully my voice was even, with no hint of irritation whatsoever.

"Yes, you are very generous in your praise," she shot back. "I would expect as much given your mother's relations." Placing her fork delicately on her plate, Grandmother placed her hands in her lap. I blinked in fascination- her salad hardly looked touched. "You're not letting any girls distract you from your studies, are you?"

I couldn't keep my color from rising.

"Aha...I thought as much," she averred with a triumphant nod. "No wonder you're not on top. I do hope it's someone reasonable- Pureblood of course, but not that chit daughter of Pansy's. Please tell me you're not dating her."

"No, grandmother, I'm not seeing Hollace."

The salad plates were cleared away and the roast pheasant appeared in its place.

Grandmother looked somewhat relieved. "Well, that is certainly mercy. Her mother was quite the doting admirer of Draco but she was so insipid!" she proclaimed. "I couldn't bear listening to that incessant chatter if she were to become your mother-in-law."

At least grandmother had some taste.

"Well, you don't have to worry, I'm not interested in dating Mrs. VanStrauss' daughter...ever," I assured her.

I noticed that both my parents were very quiet. I knew Mother was not a fan of Mrs. VanStrauss and father didn't seem to bother with her either way.

Grandmother leaned forward, an expectant look on her face. "So if it's not that one, who might it be?" she prodded. "Do I know her parent's? Or perhaps her grandparent's?"

"Yes, grandmother, I believe you do." Why did I say that? I inwardly slapped a hand over my mouth. There was something about being interrogated by the woman that made it impossible not to tell the truth.

"Who is it then? I can't recall knowing anyone with a granddaughter your age, that is, anyone acceptable." She eyed me with an accusing stare.

Grandfather continued to eat his meal, seemingly unaware of the conversation going on around him, or rather the inquisition.

"There are many lovely girls my age, Grandmother."

"I am not concerned with many, I'm only interested in the one you're seeing," she snapped. "So tell us, who is she?" Grandmother's mouth tightened, drawing into a thin line, and her eyes bored into me as if she could read my thoughts by shear will alone...or perhaps Legilimency, though I'd become quite adept at Occlumency so I wasn't worried about that.

"Well?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

I wasn't sure what to do so I took a bite of my pheasant. It tasted like chewy saw dust but it gave me time to contemplate.

"Answer your grandmother, Scorpius," Mother was clearly hoping to garner some favor with the elder Malfoy. I wish she could she see that grandmother would never approve of anyone who took time away from her 'darling Draco'.

Grandmother responded by giving Mother a small, terse nod- in agreement, not approval.

I gulped and decided, why the hell not? I was in love with Rose and they were going to find out eventually, better now so they had time to get used to the idea. Maybe then, when we officially came out with our relationship, they wouldn't be such arseholes to her.

"It's Rose Weasley if you must know."

Grandmother's lips tightened further, if that were even possible. In contrast, my mother's mouth was hanging open in shock and the clang of silverware on china coming from Father's end of the table alerted me that he'd dropped his fork. Grandfather ate on.

"You're dating the daughter of that Granger girl?" Grandmother's voice shook with rage. This was new- I didn't think she could be anything but calm and condescending.

"I am," I replied and looked straight into her angry eyes. My heart was pounding and I could feel the sweat starting to bead on my forehead, but I held her glare with one of my own.

"How could you?" she exploded. "Do you know what that mother of hers has done? And a half-blood, no less. She is not worthy of you!"

Unsure of how to respond, I looked to mother. She lowered her head to her plate. Snapping my head in the other direction I saw Father staring coldly, but not at me...he was giving Grandmother Malfoy's death stare a run for its money.

"And exactly what has Hermione done, other than help save the wizarding world from the maniac you and father let in our house?" he snarled. "I will overlook the half-blood comment, as Rose – is it?" He looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. "As Rose is born of two wizards. Even if one of them is an oaf, he is a pureblood of one of the oldest lines." My father's voice was icy and even I got shivers listening to it.

Grandmother, completely unfazed, continued on. "What has she done? She left the most brilliant wizard in England and ran off with that, that 'oaf' as you call him!" she bellowed. "She broke your poor heart and I, for one, will not allow her daughter to do the same to my grandson!"

Father responded through clenched teeth. "Perhaps if you hadn't been such a shrew things might have turned out differently." With that he rose, threw his napkin atop his partly eaten pheasant, and left the dining room.

Mother turned away from us for a moment to collect herself. When she finally faced us, her eyes were dry and her mouth set into a line that closely resembled Grandmother's. Gently placing her napkin aside, she rose gracefully from her chair and left me alone with my grandparents, one of fuming and the other silently folding his napkin in his lap.

Great! Left to fend for myself, and against a harpy from hell, no less! I couldn't expect any support from my practically catatonic grandfather. In retrospect, I should have felt terrible thinking such vile thoughts about my own grandmother but, given the evidence she really did deserve it.

"See what you've done?" My Grandmother spoke up, her voice tight and cold.

"Good-night Grandmother," I said calmly before leaving the dinner table and the devil herself essentially alone.

****

I went in to look on mother and found her sitting at her writing desk.

"How can I help you?" she asked as she looked up from her paperwork.

"I was just making sure you were…"

"I'm fine," she replied and focused back on her desk.

I stood there, looking at her stiff shoulders and blank expression, and I knew she was anything but fine. However, it's a little difficult to comfort someone who refuses to admit any pain so I left her study and pretended not to hear her stifled sob as I headed down the hallway. Anger started to bubble up inside of me as I strode towards my fatehr's study. It was an anger I had never realized I even felt until that very moment. I was angry at my grandmother for being a horrible shrew, at my mother for letting the Malfoy's walk all over her, and at my father for dismissing Mother all the time.

Sweeping through the door, I found Father also sitting at his desk though, unlike mother, he was not pretending to work. An empty glass and a bottle of Ogden's stood on the desktop in front of him- evidence of what Father needed to seek comfort.

"Why do you find it necessary to show mother exactly how little she means to you?" My fury burst forth on its new found target.

"You don't know what you're talking about Scorpius, now leave me be."

"I don't know what I'm talking about?" I repeated in disbelief. "I live in this house too! I know a site better than you think I do."

"No you don't." Father rose and pointed his finger at the door. "Please leave." His tone was firm and usually I would have obeyed but not this time.

"I'm not leaving," I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. "I want answers, Father. Why did you get married if you didn't love mother? Why even bother? A kid is not enough of a reason."

Momentary shock flitted across my father's features at my knowing the details of my birth but, he was the master of masking his emotions and hid them as quickly as they had come.

"I could not be the father of a bastard," he replied, staring at me hard.

"So why not live with your choice instead of running away from it?" I shot back. "Why ignore mother, why ignore me?" I would not be cowed by him- not now. It was time for all of this to come out, time for this chasm between us to end or begin anew.

"I do not ignore you." It was all he could manage to get out.

I quirked my brow, a look that seemed to disconcert him.

"Like I said, you don't know what you're talking about," he said finally.

"I know that you were married to Rose's mother. I know she left you for Mr. Weasley. I know that you and mother only got married because she was pregnant with me and I know you sleep on your couch down here more often than you do in your own bed." I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling somewhat victorious as my father's mouth fell open in astonishment. "Am I missing anything, Father?"

Clamping his mouth shut, he cast his eyes downward and busied himself by pouring another drink. "Have a seat, Scorpius," he demanded and waved his glass towards one of the opulent, leather chairs positioned in front of his desk. I watched the amber liquid slosh inside the crystal highball and nearly spill over the side.

My father looked at me when I didn't move from my spot by the door. "I want to tell you a little story."

Lifting my chin, I refused to sit down.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Running a hand through his thinning hair, my father took a long draught of whiskey before launching into his story. "When I was your age, I was a complete arse."

I blinked in surprise. His statement was so plain that it caught me off guard. I had never heard my father speak about himself in a negative light.

"You know of course that I was a Death Eater," he continued, "and that I made a lot of horrible decisions. I took the cowardly way out, though at the time I thought it was the only way to survive." Pausing, my father set his glass on the desktop and raked his hand through his hair once more. "I hurt a lot of people Scorpius and, one them was Hermione Granger...now Weasley." The name came out forced alongside a grimace.

I nodded for him to continue.

Blowing out a heavy breath, he acquiesced. "After the war I served one year in Azkaban. I won't discuss what happened there but, rest assured the lack of Dementors did not make the place any less…uncomfortable." Another grimace. "When I was released I was put on parole, and who do you think was assigned as my MCO? The one person I had made it my mission to torment when I was in school…Hermione." The end of her name came out as a low sigh. "I had been taught to hate her 'kind' from birth so you can imagine my surprise when I started to enjoy spending time with her, and when I realized that I actually liked her…and then when I fell in love with her." He pinched the bridge of his nose and bent his head- it might have been the first sign of real emotion I had ever seen from him.

Shitfting awkwardly on my feet, I decided I might need to sit down after all. I stalked slowly over to one of the chairs and sat, listening as my father went on.

"I had never loved anyone before, not like that," he admitted and I swore I saw a hint of a blush creep onto his face. "Hermione forgave me for all the terrible things I had done and that made her the most incredible person I had ever met. I knew when I proposed that I wasn't the man of her dreams but, I also knew that she had grown to care for me and I hoped she might forget the man who held her heart. Who always held her heart. I think, deep down, I knew she would never forget him but, I didn't care. I took what I could, while I could." Father sat down in the oversized wingback behind him and rested his hands on the desktop. "You see, Rose's father- Ronald Weasley- had been missing for quite some time. We all thought he was dead. Turns out that he wasn't and his return made it painfully apparent that she would never really be mine."

Staring at his hands, my father looked almost transfixed. "So I let her go," he whispered and then looked me squarely in the eye. "Me Scorpius, not her. Hermione was too noble. She would have stayed, would have spent her life with me even though she loved another man." Dropping his gaze back to his hands, he closed his eyes. "I let her go because, I realized that I loved her more than I loved myself. Then Astoria came along and..." He paused for a moment. "Your mother was there for me during a very dark time and, for that I will always care for her." Opening his eyes, he shot me a slightly affectionate look. "She gave me you and, while you might think me hard, I have done my best by you, son."

As quickly as his affection came, it disappeared. "But don't for one minute think your mother didn't know what she signed up for in this marriage," he stated coldly, "don't think you weren't an orchestrated plot. Your mother knew exactly what she was doing so forgive me if I hold a bit of a grudge. Forgive me if I'm not always thrilled by the cage she put me in." My father's head went into his hands and his platinum hair stuck out at odd angles through his fingers.

This was the first real conversation I had ever had with my father, and most certainly the longest. Part of me felt for him but another part of me wanted to slap him and, for the first time in my life, irrationality won out.

"Get over it!" I shouted.

My father looked up and I saw there were tears dripping down his cheeks. It was almost enough to make me pause…almost.

"It was years ago!" I added, balling my fists in outrage. "Hermione Granger is married to someone else, and so are you! You have a wife who would dote over you if you let her, you have a beautiful home, a loving, if not insanely bitchy mother, and a son who would love to get to know you. You have all of this, Father and yet all you do is think about yourself and this 'selfless love' you have for someone else." I stood up and walked towards his desk. "What you did for her might have been selfless but now your nothing but a bitter, selfish man with a receding hair line!"

Grabbing the bottle of firewhisky, I threw it into the fireplace where it smashed to pieces. The dying flames burst to life and cast a flash of brilliance around the room. My father stared at me, tears running down his cheeks, his hair rumpled, and his mouth agape.

"Grow up Father." I turned on my heel and tromped out of the room, leaving him to solitude and self-pity.

As I closed the door behind me I felt tears prick my eyes, which only incensed me further. Smashing the antique vase in the hall didn't do much to help ease the pain and anger I felt either. Taking the stairs two at a time, I rushed for the safety of my room. I had never stood up to my father before, never gotten involved with my parents domestic affairs because I felt it was never my place. I had no idea what made tonight different but, with the revelation of my father's history all I felt was an all-consuming dread. 

**A/N:****I****cna't****even****begin****to****apologize****enough****for****the****delay,****but****know****that****the****next****chapter****will****defintiley****be****up****sooner.****I****swear****it****on****HP!**

**So****how****did****you****like****the****insight****into****the****Malfoy****Manner?****How****about****Draco's****side****of****events****from****RY?****I****really****do****want****to****know****all****your****thoughts****on****this****chapter****since****it****was****one****of****the****hardest****to****write****and****I****hope****I****got****it****right.**

**Thanks****as****always****to****those****of****you****for****reading****and****those****especially****who****take****the****time****to****review.****Also****to****my****wonderific****beta****Dracosgem.****She****is****the****bestest.**

**Lastly****I****just****wanted****to****let****you****know****the****Sproggy****is****now****going****to****officially****have****a****little****brother!**


	27. A Long Time Coming

Rose's POV

"Rose! Don't forget to dust the top of the mantle!" Nana Molly called down the stairs after me.

"I won't!" I yelled back. Feather duster in hand, I sighed as I manually dusted the den. I couldn't wait until my seventeenth birthday, then I'd be able to do all the cleaning magically. As far as I was concerned, May couldn't come soon enough.

The Burrow was in a constant state of movement since we arrived. I blinked as I realized it had already been three days. Time certainly flies when you're put to work. Roxy was with me in the den, collecting rugs to be dusted in the yard. I'll admit I didn't envy that job. Swatting at a bunch of old carpets was sure to give even the shapliest witch a sore shoulder, not to mention all the dust! My cousin grunted as she hefted the dusty roll of carpeting up over her shoulder...but that was the most she ever complained, unlike like the rest of us who had transformed into a bunch of whinging twats the moment the word 'cleaning' had been proposed. I guess Roxy had more reason to be pleased with the situation… excluding Fred, of course, but I he didn't look at the situation as much of a blessing, not like his sister at least. Must have been the difference in sex.

It was rather lonely in the room with Roxy gone. She wasn't much of a talker but that was fine by me. Cleaning was a horrendous chore but having some company made it go by more quickly somehow. I looked at the bookshelves and shook my head- they were in a terrible state. Weilding the feather duster, I tackled the wall of romantic classics Nana Molly loved to read. As I swished the dust feathery implement over the dusty tomes, a brightly colored book binding caught my eye. Pulling it from between its companions, I read the title: _The Minister's Punishment_. The cover depicted a witch bending over a large desk in barely there robes with a man in Ministry robes ogling her from behind.

_Nana Molly! You naughty granny._

"What're you looking at?" A loud voice spoke up behind me.

I jumped and the book fell to the floor face up. "Shit! You scared me Al."

He didn't respond. Instead he leaned down to pick up the dropped book.

"Interesting choice, Rose." Al snickered. "And under Nana and Grandpa's roof- very bold of you."

"Shut it!" I hissed, snatching the book from his hand and shoving it back on the shelf. "I hope you're in here to help."

"Actually I was skiving off on gnome tossing," he admitted with a weary grin. "Thought I'd take a little break from all the madness." Plopping onto the couch, his feet thunked as they hit the wood of the tea table.

"Oh, no you don't," I reproved. "If you're in here you're at least going to help out." I tossed a rag at him and pointed to the wall of books on the opposite side of the room. "Get to work."

Al pulled a face. "Come on Rose, give a guy a break."

"Nope." I pointed to the shelves again and watched as Al slowly peeled himself off of the sofa. moaning and protesting all the way.

"So, have you heard the news about Seven yet?" He said after a a few moments of dusting.

I rolled my eyes- he as such a girl.

"What, that he's a wanker? Yeah, I already knew that."

"No, that he's dating Annie now."

I stopped dusting and turned to look him. "As in Annie Wentworth?"

"Yeah, pretty sick right?" Al shook his head.

"I can't believe them!" My mind was racing. How could she? How could he? I'd known Annie since we were in diapers. Her mum was my dad's partner for years and we were supposed to be friends.

"Sorry, Rose, but I thought you were over him." Al wrinkled his brow, an expression he only donned when genuinely concerned. My shock was obvious but I didn't think it let on to my wounded feelings. Evidently I was wrong.

"No, I am over him," I assured him, "it's just. That's just…that's just…it's sick is what it is. I mean, she's Annie." I fell onto the couch that Al had recently vacated.

I did not care about Seven, truly I didn't...but how could Annie date him? How could she do that knowing how badly he'd hurt me this year? I mean, she didn't even know if I was over him yet! Granted, we hardly talked anymore...but still. There's a code most girls abide by and she totally broke it. And Seven! What an arse. He knew she was my friend and I'd bet anything he was only dating her to get to me. Boy, would I love to say it didn't work but then, that'd be a lie. I was miffed...but only because I knew he was using her and that made him a super arse.

Al came and sat down next to me. "Sorry Rose. I thought you'd think it was funny," he said quietly. "I mean, yeah it's Annie and I know that you love her and all, but she's so…well, so Annie."

I didn't respond. My head was too full of my own musings, not to mention anger. I decided it was time for a break. I hadn't written to Scorpius since we'd gotten there so I took this as an opportunity to do so. If anyone would understand how I felt, it'd be him.

"I'm going to go lay down for a bit, I said absently and rose from the couch. "See you at supper."

"Rose…" Al's voice trailed after me but I continued on up the stairs.

By the time I had reached the room I was sharing with Dom, Lucy, and Molly my head a complete jumble of emotions. I just needed to sort them out, then I would be okay. So I wrote to Scorpius and apologized for my lapse in communication. I explained what was going on with Nana Molly and then I let the flood gates burst. All of my irritation and hurt at what Seven was doing with my 'friend' Annie spilled out onto the page in a torrent of ink. I felt numb byt the time I was finished and found I had written three feet of parchment, all in small if illegible handwriting. Hercules was perched by the window and ready to go, so I borrowed Dom's owl and sent all my frustration away.

It truly had been cathartic and I did feel much better. Not enough to go and finish the den but enough to lay on my bed and fill my head with thoughts of Scorpius rather than Seven and Annie. Scorpius was really great. Maybe I should just come out and make things official. Maybe things were supposed to be this wonderful. Maybe we were soul mates and I was just pushing him away. I couldn't be sure but there was one person I thought could help. Aunt Ange. She, if anyone would understand my hesitance. I mean, it had taken her, what? 18 years to say yes to Uncle George. I still couldn't believe they were actually going through with getting married. Of course, Nana Molly was over the moon about it.

****

It was practically impossible to get a moment alone with the woman of the hour. Nana Molly was scurrying around her at every second, asking her opinion on the flowers, the china, the music...I even heard her ask Aunt Ange if she preferred Uncle George to wear boxers or briefs. All right, maybe she didn't ask that, but I wouldn't put it past her, especially after discovering her naughty reading material.

I finally got my opportunity to talk to Aunt Ange the day before the wedding. Her mum and Nana Molly had taken the day to get 'freshened up' and though Aunt Ange was supposed to go with them, mum and Aunt Ginny suggested they all go out together instead. Apparently, Aunt Ange preferred a Hen Night to 'freshening' herself. I caught her in the backyard just after dawn, leaning against the fence and looking out at a pasture of blue bells.

"Morning," I said as I strode up beside her.

"Morning," she replied before taking a sip from the coffee mug cradled in her hand. "What are you doing up this early?"

"Couldn't sleep." This was true- it had been impossible to sleep with Dom's snoring and my fear of Lucy and Molly covering my face with gnome dung or something. "What about you? Nervous?"

"Nah, I've been ready for this since we were kids." She smiled as the sun's rays peeked over the treeline and the light hit her face in a wash of bronze and umber.

"Really? Why'd it take so long for you to say yes then?" Had I been speaking with Aunt Audrey, I'd probably get told off for being impertinent but, Aunt Ange wasn't bothered by my inquiry.

"Because your Uncle George wasn't ready," she declared.

"Um, not to be a nay-sayer but, wasn't he the one asking you to marry him since you guys had Fred?" I rejoined with furrowed brows.

"He was, but that doesn't mean he was ready."

"How do you know? I mean, how do you know when someone is ready for something…serious?"

Aunt Ange turned away from the sun's vibrant rays and cast her shimmering gaze in my direction. "Come, let's have a seat." She walked away, not looking back to see if I would follow. Obviously I did.

As she reached a small copse of trees, she sat down on a crude log bench built by my Uncle Charlie. It had all of my dad's siblings names etched into the wood.

"When we were in school, George, Fred and I, we played on the same quidditch team," Ange said after a moment.

"Yeah, I know. You were a chaser and Uncle George and Fred were beaters."

She looked at me in a silent yet gentle rebuke. I took the hint and bowed my head.

"As I was saying, we played on the same team together and we were all friends," she picked up where she had left off. "Then, in Sixth year Fred asked me to go with him to the Yule Ball and I said yes. From that point on, Fred and I dated on and off for the rest of the time we were at Hogwarts."

Ew! Aunt Ange had dated Uncle Fred? Her husband-to-be's dead twin brother. Isn't that against some kind of law?

"I know what you're thinking Rose and it's why no one really ever discusses that bit of history," she averred. "It isn't what you think so stop giving me that face and listen."

I un-scrunched my brow and did just that.

"Fred was great; he was smart, funny, always good for a laugh. We had a good time together but I never felt a real connection," she admitted. "I knew I would never be first in Fred's life, which was fine. I mean, we were young! So while your Uncle Fred was off preparing to make it big in the joke industry, your Uncle George and I got closer."

Aunt Ange's face split into a bittersweet grin. "Don't get me wrong, George was doing the Joke Shop thing too but, he always managed to find time to hang out with me and, for that I considered him one of my best friends." Pulling another sip from her mug, she made a sour face and placed it on the bench beside her. "I hate cold coffee."

I nodded in agreement- not that I actually drank coffee or anything.

"Anyway, when Fred and I split that last time it became apparent that I didn't want him back." She bit her lower lip and looked down at her feet. "I will always love Fred- he was a wonderful person- but I realized that the reason I didn't want him back was because I had fallen in love with George." She began tracing the lines of Uncle George and Uncle Fred's names etched into the bench beside her. "Those were bad times, as you well know. I'm sure you have heard plenty about them. Voldemort was so strong and we were at war." Aunt Ange straightened up, a determined look on her face. "My father was a muggleborn and was killed shortly after Voldemort's rise to power. My family went underground after that but my brother…" Aunt Ange pulled a deep breath and turned to face the sun, "my brother and I disobeyed our mother and went to fight in the final battle at Hogwarts."

I stared at her in admiration as she went on.

"John was two years older than I was and he'd been training to be an Auror," she proclaimed proudly. "He was brilliant...but Rookwood was better. He fell that night alongside your Uncle Fred."

I watched as she wiped the corners of her eyes, catching the tears before they had a chance to slide down her cheeks. I looked up in an effort to stymie the tide of my own tears.

"George and I couldn't help but comfort one another," she whispered. "We kept our relationship a secret at first because we knew what kind of reaction we would get. I wanted to wait and make sure that we would last before broaching the subject with everyone but, of course that didn't last long." Aunt Ange shook her head in exasperation. "Your Aunt Ginny is far too sneaky and has a big mouth." She laughed and the sound came out like a snort, but I found it endearing.

"I still don't understand," I replied. "If you two were in love, why did you wait so long to get married?"

"Because, your Uncle George wasn't ready."

"But how did you know?" It came out all whiney and annoying and I almost thought Aunt Ange cringed at the sound, or maybe that was just me.

"Every year during Christmas time your Uncle has a drink for his brother Fred, or rather, he has several drinks," she stated. "And every year he comes home and asks me the same question: 'Do you ever wish I were Fred?'" She looked at me with a warm smile. "This year he didn't."

With a shrug and a laugh, her face brightened and reminded me of the smile she wore when we spoke at Chirstmas. It made my heart swell and, even though I didn't get the chance to ask her about Scorpius, I found that her story had helped.

****

Sleep had been eluding me all night as my thoughts kept wandering to Scorpius. Ruminating over Aunt Ange's story, I considered what she meant by knowing when someone was really ready. I now felt that I was- I was ready to be happy with Scorpius.

I had just fallen asleep with the resolution in mind when a loud crash from downstairs jolted me back awake. I shot up and tried to calm my racing heart as I listened for what it was that had jerked me awake. I heard a thump, a stifled giggle, and a loud 'shhh'. At first I wondered if Lily was trying to sneak out but, then remembered how mum and all the aunts had gone out for a Hen Night. I decided I had to see what they were up to- it's not every day you get a chance to see your elders all sloppy.

Winding my way around my sleeping cousins who were sprawled throughout the room, I gingerly opened the door. From the top of the stairs I could see a glimpse of the kitchen table and Aunt Ange was sitting at the end with her head resting in her crossed arms.

"I'm much too old for this." I heard a voice whisper/shout. I was unable to identify who it was so I snuck a little further down the stairs.

"Psh, Herminoe, we are still young and in our prime!" That was definitely Aunt Ginny, easily identifiable by her lack of whispering. "Now where is that baking pan?"

"You're not really thinking of baking anything? It's nearly three in the morning and we have a wedding to go to tomorrow!" My mum's whispering was getting louder.

"You bet your arse I am!" Aunt Ginny practically bellowed. "I'm starving! Now hand me that bowl over there."

"I don't see this going very well." My mum giggled.

"Have a little faith Hermione." Then I heard some more clanking and cupboard doors being open and shut.

"Can you believe Audrey danced on that bar? I never would have thought she had it in her." Mum had lost all pretense of whispering now.

"I know!" Aunt Ginny snorted. "I wonder if Percy knows he married a tart?"

Both of them burst into a fit of giggles.

I heard a thump and then a chair being pulled out. "So, Hermione, now that we're alone are you going to tell me what Astoria Malfoy said that made you turn white?"

"Shh! Angelina's still here." Mum went back to 'whispering'.

"She's completely out. Now spill."

My mum responded but I couldn't really make out what she had said. Apparently she had finally figured out how to whisper properly.

"She didn't!" Aunt Ginny obviously had no qualms about speaking aloud.

"So, what're we listening to then?" A voice piped up behind me and I spun my head around so quickly, I nearly pulled a muscle.

"Shhh." I whispered to Al as he sat down on the step beside me. Massaging my neck, I turned back to the kitchen in order to glean more about what Scorpius' mum might have said.

"What a cow" Aunt Ginny proclaimed. "I can't believe she had the nerve to say something so ridiculous. As if you would ever go back to that snake husband of hers."

"Ginny!" Mum admonished, "keep your voice down! Draco is not a snake, regardless of what you might think of him. He is a good man." Thankfully mum went back to her horribly loud whispering.

"Yeah, right," my aunt mumbled. "Anyway, she's still a cow for accusing you of that."

"She didn't accuse me, she accused Rose."

"Like Rose would ever stoop so low as to date a Malfoy."

I wish I could have seen the expression on my mum's face because it takes a lot for Aunt Ginny to apologize for something.

"Okay, okay...I'm sorry," Aunt Ginny said quickly. "I didn't mean that you stooped. Anyway, I don't think it's true. From what I understand, Rose is still hung up on the Deciles boy."

There was a bing, a shuffle and then, "Damn, these brownies smell delightful."

Mum sighed. "I don't know Gin, it could be true," she rejoined. "I know they're friends but I'm just not sure what it is I'm supposed to do about it. It's certainly not the ideal situation and I don't even want to think about what Ron will say when I tell him."

"You can't tell Ron!" my aunt hissed. "He'll go mental! Wait until you even know if it's true or not. Now try this."

There was a mumble. "What? I can't understand you Hermione."

A large gulp and then, "I said…I suppose," she replied. "Maybe I can work on him slowly, get him used to the possibility. That way, if it is true Rose won't have to bear the brunt of his anger."

"And how do you feel about it?' Aunt Ginny asked. "I mean, if what Astoria says is true you could end up being in-law's to your ex!"

"Mostly, I feel that Rose can be with whoever makes her happy, but then part of me- a small part- thinks this will end in disaster," Mum confessed. "Draco and I have hardly spoken in seventeen years and if they're really serious, we are bound to have to meet again." She blew out a heavy breath. "I just don't wish that kind of tension on Rose's relationship. It'll be bad enough dealing with her father, let alone Astoria. I mean, there's no reason she should think this would bring Draco and I back together but, the fact that she does makes me question how accepting she would be of my Rose. No one should have to pay for their mother's past."

My heart was racing. I looked over to see Al's mouth hanging open in surprise and I gave him a weak smile. He just shook his head, mouth still wide.

"Very diplomatic of you Hermione." My aunt's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Now tell me how you really feel."

"I just did." My mum's whisper had all but gone. "Ow! Fine, I'll hate it. Okay? It will make things awful for me. I hurt Draco very badly back then and I don't like being reminded of that. I know it's been a long time, but some wounds don't heal very cleanly and this is one of them. However, regardless of how I feel, my daughters happiness is what matters most."

I decided I didn't want to hear anymore so I looked at Al and gestured up the stairwell. We rose slowly and crept back up together. I thought about going back into my room but, with Al on my heals I doubted I would get away with it, so we went up to the attic instead. Even though the ghoul had died, or whatever they do when they exist no longer, no one ever seemed to like being in the attic. For that, I didn't fear being overheard.

I looked around at all the clutter that had amassed up there over the years- boxes, various school trunks with my Aunt and Uncle's names on the front, and a broken owl cage perched atop a stack of old books with a Blond wizard smiling on each of the bindings. I turned to see Al not a foot away from me, mouth still agape in shock.

"So I've been seeing Scorpius for a couple of month's now."

There, I'd said it. It was now out to someone in my family.

"Why would you hide it?" Al finally managed once my confession had time to sink in.

"You heard them Al! Mum and Scorpius' dad used to be…married," I practically gulped the last word out.

"Well that's just…weird."

I sat down on Uncle Percy's old trunk as the enormity of what I just heard dawned on me. "I know," was all I could manage to huff out.

"So what're you going to do?" Al sat next to me on the trunk.

"I don't know," I said and stubbed a finger at him. "But you can't tell any of the others okay, Al? Not until I figure this out."

He was slow to nod.

"I'm serious. None of your gossiping about this. This has to stay between you and me."

"I promise, I can keep a secret you know."

"Could've fooled me."

"Does anyone else know?" Al asked.

"Just Tabby."

Al looked a little hurt that I had gone to Tabby before him.

"She figured it out, I didn't tell her."

"She is a sneaky snake that one." Al laughed and I realized how nice it was to share my secret with him. Because of the break-up with Seven, I felt like I hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time with Al this year. I knew it was my fault- I had distanced myself from anything that reminded me too much of the relationship- but I was over him now and I wouldn't let his memory get in the way of my relationships any longer.

"Yes, yes she is," I responded and laid my head on his shoulder. I was glad that Al was on my side, no matter what else might happen.

**A/N: So sooner than normal right? Not too shabby if I do say so myself... which I do. How did you like it? What did you think of the back story with Angelina and George? I have been sitting on that for over three years ever since I started RY. What about Hermione's response? Or Al's? What about Seven and Annie... what a little shithead!**

**Anyway, I love all the response I got last chapter. Keep it coming, even if you disagree with me :) **

**Thanks as always to all of you who read and especially those who take the time to review and Double special super thanks to my beta dracosgem. **


	28. Nothing an Adavra to the Heart Won

The train ride back to Hogwarts was pretty uneventful. I received an owl from Scorpius informing me that he had gone back to Hogwarts early on the day of Uncle George's wedding. I guess his grandmother had been too much for him, though he didn't actually elaborate on the reason.

The wedding was such a blur that I really only remembered three things: 1- Aunt Angelina looked amazing in her dress robes; 2 – Uncle Charlie, who arrived late the night before, _cannot_ dance but sure looks funny trying; and 3 – there is no amount of alcohol that will make it okay to watch your parents go at it. At least not for Al…and he certainly tried.

So it was that I had holed up in a compartment with Al, James and Dom. Things were fairly normal, well, for a Weasley anyway. Al occasionally closed his eyes, shook his head, and moaned something about burning his eyes out. James sat back with an obnoxious grin on his face, though he hardly said anything about Al walking in on their parents. Dom kept trying to slyly question me about Bertram, which I avoided to the best of my ability.

All in all, very normal. So it was weird for me to feel so…empty? Off? Detatched? I don't know how to describe it but, ever since overhearing my mum say that she would hate me being with Scorpius, it felt like my gut was full of cockroaches.

I didn't even get to see Sorpius until dinner that evening. He sat across from me and I felt this weird distance between us. I wondered if it was coming from me or if it was mutual. All I knew was, the more time we spent with other people, the more nervous I became. I looked around in an effort to avoid looking at him straight on because I was afraid what I might find there. I scoped out everyone in the dining hall- with the exception of Scorpius, that is- and found Seven sitting with Annie at the Hufflepuff table. His arm was draped over her shoulders and she faced him with a sickeningly sweet smile, nuzzling her head into his neck.

Seven looked over, shot me a wink, and cracked a mischievous grin.

"Ugh, that just makes me sick!" I said aloud. I hadn't actually meant to say anything but, honestly how disgusting could you get?

"I didn't think the beans were that terrible," Bertram said.

"Ew! That _is _gross. What a tosser!" I always knew I liked Tabby.

We spent the rest of the meal discussing all of the grossness that was Seven and Annie. 

Scorpius remained quiet.

"So, are you excited?" Six asked as we headed for the dungeons after dinner. She had missed out on our discussion about Seven as she had been sitting with Gordie.

"_About_?" I really hoped she didn't expect me to be thrilled about Seven and Annie.

"About the Memorial Celebration!" She looked to me in expectation. I shot her back a bemused shrug and she continued. "I figured your parent's would have told you something over the Hols…"

I shrugged again.

"The twenty five year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, silly.

They're having a memorial celebration and your entire family, along with some other people, are going to be honored."

I lifted a brow. "I had no idea...they never said a thing."

"Really? I wonder why?"

"Dunno," I wrinkled my nose in thought, "probably because we were so busy planning the wedding and they just forgot. Besides, you know how much they hate going to those ridiculous honoree type things...especially Uncle Harry." I smoothed a hand through my wild curls. "So when and where is this shin dig going on?"

Six lifted her chin, looking all business like. "Well, it was _going_ to be that Tuesday- the actual anniversary day- but Headmaster said it would interfere with our classes so we're having it on Friday the 5th."

"It's here then?" I asked as we approached the wall that opened up into the common room. "Parseltongue." I watched the wall slide left, granting us access to the Slytherin dorms.

"Yep! Sort of has to be, doesn't it?" she pointed out. "Oh, and it's supposed to be a surprise so don't tell anyone. The only reason I know about it is because I overheard Professor Longbottom talking to Madam Chambers over the break."

"Well that explains why no one mentioned it," I replied angrily. "They seem to have this weird notion that things that are supposed to be a secret will stay that way."

"That's a bummer," Six rejoined as we stepped into the common room. She probably chalked my irritation up to not hearing about this stupid memorial. If _only_...

I cased the room and noticed that Scorpius was no where to be found. I didn't know how I felt about that but I did know that there was a familiar pit forming in my stomach.

"I think I'll get started on that charms essay," I announced and headed for the girls' stairs.

Later that evening I slipped through the common room, throwing a passing wave at Tabby, Six, and Gates before slipping out the door. I sidestepped Jocelyn on the way out and noticed her eyes were glossy, but when I gave her a questioning glance, she only shook her head and went straight for the girls stairs'. I was sure that Hollace was being a bitch-face again but I really didn't have the patience to deal with it right now. I had my own troubles, not to mention a charms essay, to sort through.

I knew the library would be as good a place as any to sort out what the hell was going on with me. Things with Scorpius would hopefully be sorted one way or the other.

Nevertheless, my mind was full of volatile thoughts ranging from confusion to excitement to fear...I was so perplexed, I had no idea what to do about Scorpius. Just before hearing my mum's late night, drunken confession, I was ready to bring our relationship out in the open, but now… The idea of this tearing my family apart was a big deal and I certainly had some hard choices to make. However, I couldn't ignore the excitement I felt whenever I was with Scorpius. Not to mention the horrible fear that washed over me when I thought of losing him. Let's just say that I wasn't sure I could take another blow like that, not even if I were the one making the decision.

I was so consumed with my own thoughts that it took me second to realize I had passed Scorpius.

"Rose?" His soft voice jerked me out from my contemplation and I stopped, breathed in deeply, and turned to face him.

My heart lurched and got caught in my throat. His face was a familiar mask, one he hadn't worn when we were alone since we first got together. I couldn't read anything in his eyes. Dread crept up through the cold stone floor and permeated every fiber of my being.

"Scorpius," I replied after too long of a pause.

"We need to talk." He turned and led me towards a familiar classroom.

Where I was so confused about everything just moments before, suddenly I felt nothing but horror. My mind stopped working as fear took over and I was practically shaking by the time I closed the door behind us. I angled myself towards the door, hoping he couldn't see how scared I was. When Seven broke it off it had come like a hard slap, a sharp blow that stung my pride, a punch to the gut that knocked the wind from my body...but this… This was unlike anything I had ever felt. It wasn't just in my body...it was in the air, like a thousand needles aimed directly at my heart, just waiting for the word from Scorpius to fire.

We had been off all evening and now, seeing his blank stare, I knew I was right. I knew that I was getting chucked and I immediately realized that I didn't want this to end, no matter the consequences. Nonetheless, I refused to let this be a repeat of my past mistakes.

Biting my lip, I choked back my tears, and turned to face my executioner. "You wanted to talk?" My tone was neutral, my voice only belying my compsure at the end of the sentence and I clenched my fists in aggravation.

"I think it best that we break this thing off." His voice was toneless and his eyes held no expression.

Even though I knew it was coming, I had underestimated what the pain would be like. My heart literally broke inside my chest, the scattered pieces racing through my veins and crying out their anguish. I clenched my fists tighter and my fingernails broke the skin of my palm. The sharp pain was a cool relief to the ache that consumed my body.

"Can I ask why?" I was able to manage evenly.

"I think we both know why," he stated matter-of-factly.

At that moment, I did. The novelty had worn off and he no longer cared for me. It was written plainly across his face. Scorpius' stiff posture and his utter detachment were clear as day. For a second I thought I might have seen a glistening in his eyes but, I knew I was just fooling myself. It was probably for the best anyway, right? I mean, this way I wouldn't have to worry about hurting my family.

"We should just be friends."

I nodded my assent, afraid to let myself speak.

He took a step towards me and my heart rate quickened, maybe… Again, I was folling myself for Scorpius walked right past me, opened the door, and left. The hollow sound of the wood meeting the jamb was followed by thick silence. Utter and complete, its heavy weight crashed down upon me and my body went numb. I don't know how long I stood there. I did not cry. I did not collapse. I did not wail. It was not like my break with Seven.

It was worse...much, much worse.

"You came in late last night?" Tabby winked at me when I pealed myself out of bed.

I nodded and quietly went about getting ready for the day, a day that I had been dreading from the moment I laid down the night or, rather early morning before. I followed Six and Jocelyn out of the room and silently thanked Merlin that they were immersed in a deep discussion about make-up techniques. Tabby sidled up from behind and attempted to make conversation to which I half-heartedly entertained- only because I was determined not to revert to the way I had been with Seven. It was hard. My mind didn't want to focus on anything but Scorpius and it didn't help that I could see his pale head bobbing alongside Bertram's curly mop just ahead.

Eating with him was going to be torture. I considered not going at all, but then I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt me. In fact, I was pretty sure that was the only thing keeping me out of bed in the first place. I couldn't let Scorpius see me crumble and I resolved not to fall apart. It didn't matter that I felt like I had been run over by a herd of rampaging Hippogriffs- I had to maintain my composure. So I sat in my usual spot, just across from him, and did everything in my power to remain visually unconcerned. I noticed that Scorpius looked just as apathetic, his face the same stony mask from the night before.

Well that was just fine. Two could play at that game...I hoped.

Sending him a curt nod, I sat by making every effort to be my usual, bubbly self. I may have even over done it, as evidenced by the glass of pumpkin juice spilled down the front of Bertrams robes after I made a wild gesture to emphasize a random, not to mention meaningless, point. Of course, everything was pretty meaningless now. Scorpius was quiet. Not that that was unusual but it was a little out of the norm since we had become friends and all.

After twenty, torturous minutes I figured I'd had enough face time with my friends and they wouldn't suspect anything if I slipped away to go sit with Al. I wouldn't have to be effervescent around him, he was boustrous enough for the two of us. And Gordie and Six would be too wrapped up in each other to even notice. Seven, well who cared a whit about him anyway. So, to the Gryffindors I went, making sure to take measured steps through the hall. I didn't want to seem too eager to get away, though my legs were shaking with the desire to escape.

"Hey cuz!" I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

Al faced me with a bright grin- one that would normally cause my own smile to broaden- but not today. I made a quick gesture to the person sitting next to him to slide over...and that's when I realized that it was Annie. I hadn't even noticed her there.

"Hi Rose," she said in a cautious tone .

Ignoring her, I chose to focus on Al and turned away from Seven and Annie's display of gross-ocity. That _is_ a word, by the way.

Al giggled nervously. He was such a girl sometimes…well actually, most of the time.

"I believe my girlfriend said hi," Seven spoke up.

Dammit, this was supposed to be my refuge. Why did Al have to be friends with such a tosser?

"So Al, any chance you want to come flying with me during free this morning?" I threw a brief look at Seven. "Sorry Sev, guess you can't make it since you suck at potions and all."

Seven's face turned an ugly puce color and Annie looked at him in question.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go now, shall we?" Al broke in.

I flashed a brilliant grin and nodded my agreement. It felt good, taking a cheap shot at Seven, and I almost wish I could have stayed to revel in my victory. I could have gotten in a shot or two at Annie if I had. Truth be told, I didn't even care that they were together anymore. I just wanted someone to hurt as badly as I did and, who better than the bastard that dumped you at the start of the year and a so-called "friend" who stabbed you in the back? Anything tossed their way was well deserved and no one would suspect I was being spiteful just to make up for the horror of splitting up with Scorpius.

"I thought you said you didn't care about them anymore?" Al piped up as we breezed through the front entrance and out onto the grounds.

"About who?" I asked, all innocent like.

"You know exactly who, Rosie," Al shot back with a pointed look. "You just ignored Annie and made Seven madder than hell. I don't even know what in Merlin's name you were talking about. What does Seven sucking at potions have to do with anything?"

I laughed out loud. It was a sharp, bark-like laugh with a bitter edge, unlike anything that had ever come out of my mouth before.

"I don't get it," Al said, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Clearly Seven had never shared this information with his dorm mates. He was probably too embarrassed, and I can't say as I blame him. I guess I'd be pretty ashamed myself if I had only gotten an A in potions. _Idiot_...

"Honestly Al, I don't care about them at all." I sped up and heard Al puffing behind me as he tried to keep pace. I started walking even faster.

"Hey! Slow down," Al shouted from a few lengths behind me. I instead broke into a run.

It felt good to run. I focused on my steps, my breathing, my stride- it was enough to keep my mind occupied with something simple, something unrelated to Scorpius.

"Damn it Rose, why the hell'd you invite me to come if you were just gonna run away?" I could no longer hear Al's footsteps as I broke away.

I didn't stop. I kept on going, past the Quidditch pitch, past Hagrid's hut, past the tomb of Dumbledore- I ran halfway around the Black Lake and would have kept going but was hit with a curse from behind and fell flat on my face instead. I lay with my face in the dirt and grass- completely immobile- not because I couldn't physically move but because I didn't want to. My breath came in slow gasps, the smell of the dirt and grass filling my lungs, only to be released over and over again. There was a swooshing noise and then a thud nearby, but I didn't look up. I knew who it was, anyway. 

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you today?" Al took my by the armpit and pulled me into a seated position.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Yeah, and I'm a three headed dog," he shot back with a roll of his eyes.

"Seriously Rose, what's up? Your not still upset about what your mum said are you?"

I shook my head.

"Then what is it?" he pressed. "You can tell me."

"Really Al, it's nothing," I said slowly. "Scorpius and I split up and I just felt like letting off some steam. I'm all right."

His eyebrows raised in questioning concern,.

"I swear Al, I'm totally fine," I lied. "It's not like last time, okay?" I got up, brushed off the front of my robes, and gave Al a large if not strained grin. "We should probably get back."

I started a slow trek back to the castle. Al tromped along beside me, dragging his broom behind him. I realized he could easily fly back to Hogwarts but had chosen to walk with me instead.

It was nice.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, it was all my fault. My beta got this back to me last week, but Nugget has been causing me some serious pains. Hopefully he will come out soon.**

**Anyway, hope you dont want to kill me for this chapter. More good to come and this time much quicker. I swear it this time. **

**Thanks to my beta dracosgem, without whom this would be riddled with commas and run on sentenced. I also want to thank you readers who are still with me. I appreciate it, I really do.**


	29. ARubberChickenMakes a PerfectlyGoodWand

I tried really hard to avoid an outburst like the one at the beginning of the year. I was running every morning as a result- trying to blow off steam and what not. It _did _help, if only a little. Besides that, Al had become a safe haven. I assumed it was because he was the only person who knew what was going on. I couldn't tell anyone else about it... well, maybe Tabby but I knew what she would say. She wasn't exactly known for sporting a sympathetic ear.

The nice thing about Al was that he didn't ask any questions, though I knew he was dying to. He just hung out with me, usually in silence. Since Seven was with Annie now and Gordie was with Six, Al and I had plenty of time to re-kindle our "cousin connection". If any of my house mates noticed my absence, they didn't mention it. Too absorbed in their own lives, I guess.

That said, Dom was trying like hell to get Bertram's attention but was failing quite miserably. He was spending most of his time with Tabby, which I found particularly odd. Part of me wanted to ask him why, since I knew he fancied the pants off of Dom, but mostly I looked on in detached amusement. One good thing was that it didn't look like a Tabby/Bertram re-connection was in the making. _Thank Merlin..._

Then there was Ade and James, who were being as weird as ever. Ade told me that, while she appreciated James' declaration of love, he wasn't exactly out of the doghouse yet. He clearly had some serious arse kissing to do before she consented to moving their relationship forward.

Finally, there was Jocelyn and Gates, though she swore that they were 'just friends'.

That left just just me and Al. Of course, Scorpius was around as well, but I really didn't see him much. I overheard Bertram tell Tabby that he was working in the library most nights on some Muggle Studies project.

Not that I cared.

We did see each other at Quidditch practice but, when you're flying in the air throwing balls around with three people who hate you, it's easy to forget about the guy who you maybe loved hovering on a broom above you. Well, okay, not easy but doable.

Life had returned to a somewhat normal routine. Nothing I couldn't handle. Nothing that made me a zombie, non-eating, crazy drunken stalker. Nope, I was handling this thing with maturity and it was practically mutual. I was totally going to break it off with him, anyway. I was going to choose my family's happiness over ours. Scorpius had done the right thing, ending it when he did. Yep. Everything was great. It didn't matter that I couldn't sleep, or that I would snap at Annie and Seven every chance I got, or at anyone else for that matter. It was no big deal that I spent hours sitting around in silence and that I now had a serious addiction to running. Running was healthy- it was really, really good for you- plus, tears and sweat taste the same when they run down your cheeks.

I was obviously worse off than I thought. I really must have snapped somewhere down the line and never even knew it. Well, that or hell had frozen over, because I swear I just saw Tabby talking to Al. To _Al! _And they hadn't scowled, or cursed, or even shed blood! Something was definitely up. Determined to find out what it was, I started towards them but Al must have seen me because he turned and scurried down the corridor.

"I think you should take me to Healer Wharton," I announced as I stepped up in front of Tabby.

"Yeah?" she replied, furrowing her brows in concern. "You sick?"

"I must be because I just saw you talking to Al and neither one of you left with tentacles on your face or coming out of your-"

"How do you know? He's got robes to cover that kind of thing." Tabby shot me a wicked grin.

"What exactly were you two talking about?" I asked with a fold of my arms.

"Nothing at all," she sniffed. "The tosser ran into me so I decided to tell him off." Her hair swished back and forth as she headed towards the Slytherin common room.

"That did not look like you were telling him off, Tabby," I puffed, rushing to keep up with her.

She stopped and looked at me. "Hmmm, maybe you _do_ need to see the healer, especially if you think my conversing with Albus Potter was anything…_else_," she spit the last word as though it were a bogey flavored Bertie Bott.

"Okay, whatever," I relented. No use arguing if Tabby was unwilling to confess- unless I tried the good auror/bad auror thing again but, I didn't care enough to put in all that effort.

"Hey! Do you happen to know why Bertram keeps giving Dom the boot?" I asked.

Tabby gave me a pointed look. "Because I told him to."

"Oh Merlin, please tell me you two aren't together again!" I whined and palmed my face in aggravation.

"Sweet Crice, no!" she boomed, looking a bit green. "I simply told him that he needed to play it cool. Dominique always gets her way with guys- she needs someone to make her work for it. I'll admit, it's been hard for Bertram but, I send a hex in his direction whenever it looks like he's going to cave." Her face broke into a malicious grin. "It's kinda fun."

"O-okay." What else was I supposed to say? There was no point in arguing with Tabby. Besides, it was working! Dom had never had to work so hard to get a guy's attention. It was probably killing her... but it was also good for her. Dom needed a turn at the other end of the stick.

"So Rose..." Tabby began in an unusually measured tone. "How're you and Scorpius doing?"

Shit! I hadn't expected that! I really should have. This _was _Tabby, after all. The bint did not know the meaning of "beat around the bush".

"We're fine," I blurted out. "We're friends."

Her brows rose into her hairline. "_Friends?"_

I gave a casual shrug. "We decided it was better to call it quits. No point causing a bunch of drama if there was nothing there, right?" The words felt like sand in my mouth and it hurt as I swallowed them down.

"Hmmm..." It was her only reply.

That was what life was like for the weeks leading up to the 'secret event' everyone was buzzing about. For a surprise memorial, there were a lot of people who knew about it. Hell, I heard a lot of _first years_ mention it when I walked into Ancient Runes the Thursday before. _First years! _They don't know _anything_.

Putting that aside, I had come to the conclusion that I _despised _Ancient Runes. It was the only class Scorpius and I shared without any buffers and I had taken to sitting with Amit Singh- Al's dorm mate- to avoid being close to him. My excuse for sitting with him was lame. I told him it was because I could see better from that seat. If it bothered Scorpius at all, I couldn't tell. He rarely showed emotion in front of me anymore. Not that it should have bothered him anyway. _He_ didn't like _me _anymore.

Amit was actually a good person to sit next to. He smelled nice and he was very studious. Thankfully, he had a serious girlfriend and there was no chance of any sexual tension developing between us. He was a safe bet, much better than the Nose Picker who also shared the class with me. He sat alone in the back, of course... probably so he could wipe his bogeys under the desk.

"So, are your parents coming tomorrow night?" Amit asked as we unpacked our books at the start of class.

I gave him my 'are you serious' look.

"Oh, right? Sorry. So, are you excited then?"

"Not really," I admitted. "This stuff is pretty boring and mum always gets so serious when she's at these things. Dad, on the other hand, gets a bit saucy and brags about how he rode a dragon or some nonsense. If I could get away with it I wouldn't even show up."

His neck jerked back and his eyebrows rose in shock. I guess that wasn't the answer he was expecting, especially from the child of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

"What about your family?" I switched the focus to him. "Is your mum coming? I know she fought at the final battle. My mum said she was pretty good, too."

Amit straightened his shoulders and flashed a proud grin. "She said that? That's so cool!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, Mum'n Dad'll be there...and my Aunt Padma is coming as well. She also fought in the final battle."

"That's nice," I rejoined. I wasn't exactly sure what else to say. I just wanted the conversation to end. Where in the world was the Professor, anyway? Shouldn't class have started by now?

"What about your parents Scorpius?" Amit turned towards Scorpius. "Are they coming tomorrow night?"

"Unfortunately." His response was very dry and Amit finally took the hint to shut up already.

All I felt was regret. Hearing Scorpius' voice sent a sharp pang through my chest and I clenched my fists in response. I pulled a deep breath and reminded myself that this was nothing I couldn't handle. Taking my seat, I looked down and saw that my quill was broken in half. I blinked, realizing that I must have been holding it when I heard _him _speak. I never knew they could snap so easily. I would have to find a better brand if they were going to continue to break on me like this.

"Rose, your dad is standing outside the porthole," Ten announced.

I was going over my potions essay with Tabby and responded without taking my eyes off of my assignment. "Tell him to come in."

"I did but he said something about being in enemy territory." I looked up and saw Ten grimace before rejoining a group of first years huddled by the fire.

"Ugh! Well, I guess I'll see you at the thing," I said as stretched my arms overhead. "Mind taking my books up to the room?"

"Whatever," Tabby retorted. "Um, aren't you going to change first?" She eyed my ratty, green jumper with obvious distaste.

"What for? I don't even want to go to this thing."

Tabby shrugged and I took that as my cue to go see my dad. I exited the common room and saw my dad leaning against the wall opposite the common room entrance, staring up at the ceiling.

"Seriously dad? You won't even come inside?"

His lips pursed, his face contorting into an expression he made right before he passed gas.

"_Fine..._but I must tell you that you are a complete wimp."

"A wimp who helped save the world," he shot back. "A wimp who is getting honored tonight for that very thing...a wimp who can still ground you when you come home for summer holiday." Dad tried to keep a straight face but, like always he failed miserably. He was rubbish at being stern. Pigheaded he could be, but stern… never. Well, at least not with his little girl... even if I am in the 'enemy camp'.

As we turned the corner, we took the stairs up to the entrance hall and my heart suddenly leapt into my throat. Scorpius was on his way down and my father and he were about to hit head on.

"Rose." Scorpius nodded at me, though he averted his gaze and kept looking forward as he veered out of my dad's way.

"Malfoy," I replied, but he had already passed and my voice was hardly audible.

"I thought you two were friends." Dad spoke up once Scorpius was out of ear shot.

"We are," I beamed with more enthusiasm than was necessary.

My dad quirked his brow at me and said, "Well it's for the best. Weasley's and Malfoy's don't mix."

My temper, which had been brewing close to the surface as of late, finally got the best of me. "Why is that dad?" I shouted, my face growing redder by the second. "Why can't a Weasley and a Malfoy get on? Scorpius is a nice bloke and no matter what happened with you and his father, there is no reason for us not to be friends!"

A group of second years passed us, clinging to the opposite side of the wall to evade my rant.

"You don't know everything, Rose," my father averred. "Trust me, it's for the best."

He tried to walk away but I grabbed his arm and stood my ground. "I know more than you think," I hissed. "I know that mum and Mr. Malfoy were married. I know that you have some weird jealousy thing going on with Malfoy Sr., but I don't care! I don't give a whit about what happened back then because that was the past and if I want to be friends with Scorpius Malfoy, I will be. Hell, if I want to _date_ Scorpius Malfoy, I will. And if Voldemort had some long lost son and I wanted to hang out with him, I'd do that too!"

My father looked positively gobsmacked.

"Why the hell did you fight for freedom if you were just going to harbor all these old grudges and try to keep me caged? Grow up daddy. Just grow the hell up!"

I left him in the corridor with his mouth hanging open and his ears burning a familiar shade of red. Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could, out of the castle, and onto the grounds. Several older wizards were walking around as the memorial service would begin in an hour. Naturally, all the wizards with children had come a bit early to spend some time with their families. That said, there was no place to hide and I could feel all the strangers staring at me as I hauled off towards the Black Lake. Settling myself behind a large boulder, I couldn't see anyone and I hoped they couldn't see me either.

"If you were looking to hide you really shouldn't run through the grounds like a madwoman." My mum's figure was blurry through all the tears that refused to stop streaming down my face. I resolved to look for a tear duct removal spell, because this crying shit sucks.

"I'm not hiding," I said defiantly.

"If you say so." Her condescending tone made me want to scream.

She faced the lake and threaded her hands behind her back. "I ran into your father a few minutes ago."

I said nothing.

"Care to tell me what's going on?"

I shook my head. "Nothing's going on, mum."

"So, you're out hear all alone crying because everything is okay?" She rubbed her hand gently over my shoulder. "You know, you're allowed to be friends with the Malfoy boy. I know your father can come across…"

"Like an arse?" I cut in.

"I was going to say pigheaded but arse works, too." She smiled and my lips twitched in response.

"He doesn't mean it though, sweetie. He loves you and he'll get used to you seeing Draco's son... don't worry." Her tone was full of concern but all I could hear were her words from the night of Aunt Ange's Hen Party. "_I'll hate it. Okay? It will make things awful for me_."

"Wait, seeing each other?" I piped up and pretended to be shocked. "What are you talking about?"

She chuckled lightly. "Rose, I'm your mum. I know everything."

"Well apparently you don't because, not only are Scorpius and I _not_ seeing each other, we're barely even talking to one another." I turned my head and tried to keep the tears from flowing.

"Oh, dear, I am so sorry." She started to rub her hand in slow circles on my back but I jerked away.

"No you're not," I groused. "Don't lie to me, mum. I know you didn't want me to be with him." I wiped a bit of snot from my nose with the arm of my jumper.

"Wha- what makes you think that? All I want is for you to be happy and if Scorpius Malfoy is the boy to do that, then of course I am sorry that you're not together."

I heaved a bitter sigh. "I know mum, okay? I know you and Mr. Malfoy were married. I heard what you told Aunt Ginny the night of Angelina's hen party. I know you didn't want us to be together, so don't pretend that you aren't relieved that my relationship with Scorpius didn't amount to much."

Mum grasped both of my arms and made me face her. I tried to turn away but she grabbed my chin with one hand- a very forceful hand, I might add.

"Now listen to me Rose Weasley," she began, "whatever you heard that night were the ramblings of a slightly inebriated and thoroughly shocked woman. I was practically accosted by Astoria that evening, I had way too much to drink, and I was upset. Not about you and Scorpius but that you felt the need to hide what was going on from me." Her deep brown eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "I need you to believe me when I say that I am truly sorry that you are upset. I am your mother and I love you. All I want is for you to be happy... and if that means dating the son of my ex husband, or the long lost son of Voldemort for that matter, so be it. I support you, Rose- one hundred and fifty percent and so does your father."

My mouth would have been hanging open if it wasn't squinched together between my mum's fingers.

"Now, give me a hug and go clean yourself up," she commanded. "As much as I am sure you want to, you cannot go to the memorial ceremony looking like you just got out of bed."

My mum pulled me up from the ground and wrapped me in a bone crushing hug that, while painful, filled me with much needed love and warmth.

It was all well and good for mum to be okay with me being with Scorpius. That is, it would be, were we actually together. My heart, which had a constant ache since coming back from the Easter Holiday, burned anew. If only I didn't have to go to this blasted memorial, then I could just curl up in bed with a good book. That would surely help me forget the fact that I had fallen in love with someone who would hardly even look at me.

I dressed quickly, throwing on a set of simple, powder blue robes. I didn't bother trying to tame my hair, I just pulled it into a small, frizzy braid. It took me all of ten minutes and that was including a quick ironing spell I shot at the robes on my way downstairs. I was the last person to arrive at the Great Hall and was immediately bombarded by the stench of various witch perfumes, the sound of old friends re-uniting, an extremely round elderly man who reminded me of a walrus picking a wedgie as he slapped Uncle Harry on the back, an elbow in my side and the taste of champagne as it spilled from Grawp's overlarge glass and drenched the left side of my face. The night was off to a wonderful start.

The long dining tables had been replaced with various cocktail tables and they were scattered around the room. There were little house elves carrying trays of champagne, juice, and various horse d'oeuvres. I looked around and tried to find a friend or one of my cousins but I could hardly see anything over the throng. I did notice that Uncle Harry had escaped from the Walrus Wedgie picker who had found another unfortunate to accost.

_There! _Was that a red head or just a hat. Damn it! I couldn't see a damn thing over this crowd. A slam into my back sent me flying to the floor and I found myself being stomped on a few times before being helped up by… _Shit_! Was that Scorpius' dad? His hair, though receding was almost the same color as Scopius'. His eyes were a murky grey but there was the same patrician nose and strong chin.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.

I closed my mouth and nodded, unable to say anything from sheer shock.

"Well, okay then." He began to turn away.

Not wanting to look like a complete moron, I scrambled to respond. "Thank you," I muttered before he was completely out of ear shot.

Mr. Malfoy threw a look over his shoulder and nodded. "You are most welcome Ms. Weasley."

No wonder my mum had fallen for him. He was really quite charming. I mean, besides his being all old and gross, that is. He probably wasn't like that when they were younger, though. It was too weird to think about such things; my parents having a life before I was born, my mum dating someone else. Hell, my mum dating _anyone _else. I guess I had never really given it much thought before now but, I bet mum had loads of experiences that I never even considered. Probably because I didn't _want _to, but…well, I guess it's just weird is all.

I was standing there, lost in my own random thoughts, when Tabby came up from behind.

"What, so you've had it with the son and now you're moving on to his old man?"

"Ugh! That is _disgusting_. Why must you say such things Tabs?" I turned to look at her and watched her smile stretch as wide as her whole face.

"Pure shock value," she replied with a wink. "So, you gonna tell me the truth about what happened with you and Scorpius, or what?"

"Or what..." I replied and faced a shock of red hair standing next to a nearby cocktail table. I didn't notice if Tabby had followed me or not as I made a bee-line for whichever relative I had finally spotted.

It was Lucy and I was hesitant to approach her. I mean, you never knew what that girl was up to and since Molly was nowhere to be seen, I became even more nervous. I didn't get a chance to decide because, just as I got close enough to say something, I was pulled back into the crushing assembly.

"Don't even think about it." My brother's familiar voice whispered in my ear.

I groaned. "Why not? What are those two planning?" I held up a hand. "Wait, never mind, don't tell me, I don't want to know."

"Trust me, you _don't _want to know," he affirmed.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked.

"Uncle Harry has been hiding in a corner behind Hagrid and Mum and Dad are over there…"

He pointed to the front of the hall where a dais was set up and a large object was covered by a black cloth. They were talking to Headmaster Hotness and some dour looking ministry official. The man from the ministry seemed to be arguing about something with my parents and it looked like Headmaster Hotness was doing his best to temper the hotheaded debate.

"…and Aunt Ginny is talking to Luna and Neville over there…"

I looked in the other direction and saw the trio deep in discussion in the far corner.

"…and everyone else is randomly strewn throughout this mess of a party," he concluded. "Al asked me to find you...said he needed to see you immediately. He's over by that cocktail table on the left."

"Okay, any idea-"

"Nope, he didn't say what for, just said to find you and send you over as soon as possible," Hugo interrupted. "Seemed a bit twitchy about the whole thing."

Great- a twitchy Al was never a good thing. The last time he got like that he'd stolen James' invisibility cloak so he could sneak us into Hogsmeade. We had almost gotten caught by Professor Boot outside of Honeydukes. Good thing Professor Boot is clueless, otherwise he might have cottoned on to the fact that the bottom of his robes in the back had been singed.

I spotted Al's messy thatch of hair poking up near the table that Hugo directed me to. His eyes were darting back and forth and he had a large bulge he was trying to cover with his arms in front of his stomach.

"What are you up to?" I asked. Probably shouldn't have snuck up behind him as he jumped about a mile in the air, causing the bulge fell to the floor in a silvery heap.

"Shit! Damn-it Rose, don't sneak up on me like that!" Al hissed and ducked down to scoop up his contraband.

"Sorry." It didn't sound sorry. "So what the hell are you up to? And why on earth would you need to take the cloak out tonight?"

"Shhh… You'll see. Now come with me."

He pulled me into a corner, behind a potted Flitterbloom, and proceeded to drape the cloak over top of us. Taking my hand in his sweaty palm, he dragged me along the walls and pulled us underneath one of the cocktail tables. I looked at him archly and he responded by putting a finger to his lips. I rolled my eyes- it was the quietest thing I could think of doing to protest his utter insanity.

Suddenly, a pair of very familiar Mary Janes stepped up in front of us and Al reached out to poke the wearer's ankle. I tried to get up at that point but he dragged me back down by the wrist and clamped a hand over my mouth for good measure. What did he think I was going to do? Scream? Well, actually I would have if I hadn't heard an agonizingly familiar voice.

"What's so important that you _had_ to drag me away from mother? Doing things like that are bound to get her hopes up." Scorpius' tone lacked the intimate friendliness he had had when we were together but it was much better than how he'd been speaking to me since our break up.

"As if that would ever happen," Tabby retorted. "No, I came here on a completely different mission, Scorpius. I want to know what the hell you've done to Rose."

My heart stopped in my chest and Al had to poke me in the side to remind me that I might need to breathe.

"Wh-I-What are you talking about?" This was quite possibly the first time I had ever heard Scorpius even the tiniest bit flustered. There was no doubt that Tabby's questions had taken him off guard.

"Please spare me the bullshit Scorpius," Tabby snapped. "I know you two were together... and don't look at me like that. I've known you since we were in diapers- don't think I didn't know about your little crush on Rose. Merlin, you two were as obvious as the nose on Dumbledore's face." She paused and I saw her shift on her feet. "So, like I said, what have you done to Rose?"

"I did nothing," Scorpius supplied. "Rose is fine."

"Have you gone blind? She's turned into a right miserable shrew! Ever since Easter Hols she has barely spoken to anyone except that mindless cousin of hers – Ow!" Tabby flinched as Al sent a stinging hex towards her foot. As a result, his index finger had a nice encounter with the heal of Tabby's Mary Jane.

I stifled a giggle.

"Are you okay?" Scoprius asked.

"Fine," she replied. "The ministry apparently brought with it a swarm of pests. I have already been bitten twice since walking into this miserable crush. Anyway, as I was saying. Rose is definitely not fine, and neither are you. So please Scorpius, explain to me what the hell is going on?"

I could picture Tabby giving him her no-nonsense look, the one that always seemed to make me give up my secrets.

"Well, if you know so much then you obviously know that we broke up," he rejoined. "Why ask me? Go talk to Rose about it!"

"Don't you think I've tried?" she fired back. "Rose is trying to pretend that nothing is wrong. Too bad her cousin isn't as tight lipped as she thought. I think I have the gist but what I don't understand is, why in bloody hell you would break up with her?"

I would have shot an evil glare at Al for spilling my secrets but I was too busy hanging onto their every word.

"I was doing what was best."

What? Why was that best?

"Lame," Tabby stated bluntly. "Try again."

"Really Tabs," Scorpius said, "I was trying to do the right thing. Rose wasn't over Seven so I gave her an out."

_WHAT_! That's what he thought? I could've understood if it was because of our parents but..._Seven_? No, that is just crazy.

"Are you mental? She doesn't care about Seven!"

Yeah! You tell him Tabby!

"Could've fooled me," he muttered sourly. "I got one letter from her the entire Holiday and you know what it was about? Seven and his new girlfriend. Then, when she gets back to Hogwarts what does she go off about? Seven and his new girlfriend. For someone who doesn't care about the stupid wanker she sure spends a lot of time thinking about him."

Well damn. I mean, I did do those things but I was just venting. And they were about Annie, not _Seven_. Didn't he know that? I thought he would know that by now.

"You're a plank, Scorpius," Tabby declared. "I know for a fact that she doesn't give two shits for Seven Deciles. Is it possible that you read into something that wasn't there because, oh I don't know, you're _afraid_?"

Scorpius barked a mocking laugh. "Of what?"

"Afraid that Rose might wake up one day and realize she was dating you and change her mind," Tabby provided coyly. "So instead of taking a risk, you ended it. You know, for someone as smart as you are, you sure do have a serious inferiority complex."

"No I-"

"_Yes_ you do," Tabby interjected. "And now that I have helped you see what an idiot you are, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

My heart plummeted.

"Why not?" Tabby's voice went all high pitched and scary.

"Because she's doing just fine without me!" he growled. "I know you 'say' she isn't but I don't believe you, Tabby. I think you're reading things wrong. I saw what she went through when she broke up with Seven- I know what she looks like when she's heartbroken-, and Rose does not look heartbroken to me. So, if it's all the same to you, I think I'll keep my own heart safely intact."

I don't know what possessed me, really I don't, but I couldn't stay still any longer. My anger exploded inside of me and it was like nothing I had ever felt before... and that's saying something since I am a hot tempered Weasley.

I jumped out from under the cloak and shouted. "You coward!"

Of course, I forgot that we were precariously placed underneath a table and I dumped the entire thing over. It made a huge crash, drawing more attention to our little powwow than necessary. Not that that stopped me, mind you.

"You pansy arsed coward. I can't believe I thought I was falling in love with you! You spineless piece of-"

Scorpius POV

Rose's hair was in a tangle around some sort of braid, her arms were flailing about like a mad woman, and there was spittle flying from her lips as she screamed insults at me. But I could only focus on her and how she had just shouted something about falling in love with me.

Grabbing hold of her, I pulled Rose towards me mid rant and her voice became muffled as our lips met. She squirmed for a moment but I could feel her begin to give in as her mouth molded with mine. It was vaguely reminiscent of our first kiss, but, this was even better. This was a thousand times better. This time she loved me. I got lost in her, in thoughts of her, in memories of everything that we had done together, in memories of things I had done for her. I still remembered when I started to fancy her…

_It was third year and I was studying in the library. A few tables down a couple of fifth years were having a go at my dad's friend's kid, Goyle. He was in first year and had been sorted into the Hufflepuff house, much to his families chagrin. Poor sod was sitting there, minding his own business, when some of the older kids came up and starting giving him crap for being the son of a Death Eater. _

_Rose swept into the library, her face bright red, her hair a puffy mess, and her eyes blazing fire. She hexed each of the fifth years as if it were nothing and then said as calmly as you please, "I don't think I'd be making fun of this boys parent's Smith, you don't see us teasing you for your dad being a tosser and refusing to fight in the final battle? Ran away scared, didn't he?" The kids scurried away from Rose as quickly as they could._

_It was brilliant. There she sat, the daughter of two of the most famous wizards in England, helping out a poor kid like Goyle, who's father had been on the opposite side. _

Her tongue licked the top of my teeth and a shudder of pleasure rocketed through me. I broke away, wanting to look into her eyes, to make sure that she didn't regret this. They were full of liquid warmth and shone up at me with everything I had ever wanted Rose to feel for me.

"So, you love me then?" I asked cheekily in her ear.

She shoved me lightly in the ribs. "Maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe you'll have to convince me a bit more," she smiled and I made a move to kiss her again.

"Not so fast young lady!" I heard mother's voice call out from behind me.

Rose pulled away and looked over my shoulder. Red started to creep up her neck and into her cheeks. It really was a lovely shade on her.

"I think you should stop making such a spectacle of yourself and get off of my son."

I turned around, my own face burning red. "Mother," I warned.

"Don't 'mother' me. I know what this little hussy is up to and I will not have her or her mother ruin our family."

A tall figure pushed through the crowd. "Excuse me? I must be going deaf- did you just accuse my daughter _and _my wife of ruining _your_ family?" Mr. Weasley snarled. "My wife wants nothing to do with you or your bloody no good Death Eater family and I'm sure with time my daughter," he shot Rose a pointed look, "will come to the same conclusion."

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley's curt voice cut in.

"You bitch! Why can't you leave us alone? It's not enough that he would rather be married to you, now you have to go and steal my son away, too?" My mother's claws were out. I mean, they were literally out as she made a mad dash for Mrs. Weasley, her fingernails aimed and ready. I made a move to pull her away but I didn't have to. Father came in just in time and grabbed mother around the waist.

"Let me go!" She was screaming like a banshee.

Mr. Weasley stood guard in front of Mrs. Weasley. I took a chance to look over at Rose and saw that her mouth was almost as wide as her eyes. I guess it would be shocking to see my normally composed mother throwing a hissy fit but I'd been expecting something like this for quite a while.

"Shh… Astoria, calm down. Shhh," Father was whispering into mother's ear as he held her tight against him from behind.

I could see the tears in mother's eyes begin to form as she drooped in father's arms.

"That's a good girl. Let's go and get you freshened up, shall we?" Father led mother towards the doors leading into the entrance hall but, before he did, he shot an apologetic look at Mrs. Weasley.

I could see Mr. Weasley tense as he noticed the eye contact between his wife and Father but Mrs. Weasley grabbed him by the arm and he relaxed his stance.

"Ahem!" I heard echo through the Great Hall.

All heads turned towards the dais at the front of the room where a squat looking man with thinning grey hair held his wand high in the air. His face was pale and he looked a little malnourished, though I was pretty sure wan complexion was due more to anger than lack of appetite. His lips were mashed together in a thin line that gave MacGonagall a run for her money.

"We are all here to recognize the victory and the loss at the battle of Hogwarts," he boomed in a haughty tone. "As such, personal circumstance should be dealt with at a more appropriate time and certainly a more appropriate venue!" His beady little eyes darted around the room in clear disapproval.

Rose's fingers laced themselves through mine and, though I should've been worried about mother, _and_ concerned that Rose's father might hex me into oblivion, all I could do was smile.

"Twenty-five years ago the Wizards of England banded together to rid themselves of a plague. The plague of Voldemort!" The ministry official's voice rose to deafening proportions. There was a smattering of clapping, though most people were still preoccupied with the madness that had just ensued.

"We must remember our fallen comrades in arms and keep them in our hearts. We must never forget!" This got more applause and a sniffle here and there.

"We must also remember that it took the heart of a brave young orphan and his two friends in order to truly defeat the enemy. We must remember Harry Potter, Hermione Granger Weasley, and Ron Weasley, for they showed courage that many other's could not." Here again the man shot somewhat accusing glances around the room. He was a great speaker, his voice was clear and held much more emotion than I would have expected, but he was so fervent that it scared me a little.

"It is with the highest honor that I present to Hogwarts this statue on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. May it represent not only the sadness that came from this war but also the great joy." And with a great flourish the black cloth that covered the statue fluttered to the floor.

A loud gasp could be heard echoing throughout the room. Then the snickers came, then some louder guffaws, and finally almost the entire room had erupted into laughter. The ministry official looked around the room perplexed and then turned to look up at the statue. His mouth fell to the ground and his eyes narrowed into little slits. I could see the red creeping up his neck and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. I guess he hadn't expected the statue to look so... but then, who would have? There they were- The Golden Trio- standing together with their wands held up to the sky. But instead of a wand, Harry Potter was holding what looked to be a rubber chicken, Rose's mother had a rubber haddock, and her father a tin parrot. This could have been overlooked but no one could miss the beard on Mrs. Weasley's face that fell clear to the ground, the spots covering Harry Potter's body, and the fangs protruding from Mr. Weasley's mouth.

On the bottom of the statue there was a running banner that was likely meant to say something sentimental or run through the names of fallen witches and wizards but, instead it said: "The Ministry is Full of Wankers!"

The Ministry official started shooting spells at the memorial statue but nothing he did worked. In fact, one of his spells ricocheted off of the bronze beard and back at him, slamming him to the ground and knocking him out.

Beside me Rose was shaking with laughter. Given that it was her parents that had been vandalized I would have thought she would be upset. However, none of the Weasley or Potter clan looked the least bit angry. Not even that proper uncle of hers that she once declared had 'a stick jammed permanently up his arse'.

"What in the? I would have thought…I mean…why aren't any of you mad about this?" I asked, completely flummoxed.

"Are you kidding?" Rose squeaked. "This is brilliant! You know none of my family would want this nonsense hanging around in their honor. It's a disgrace and takes away from the whole purpose of remembering the war. It had nothing to do with them- it was for everyone. I'm sure mum and dad had a right fit when they found out…in fact, I bet that's what they were arguing with that git Ministry man about earlier."

I shook my head. I would never truly understand the Weasley's but then, it didn't really matter. I only needed to know about one Weasley in particular...and she was currently tugging my hand and leading me out of the Great Hall.

Who am I to argue with that logic?

Rose's POV

Molly and Lucy had seriously outdone themselves. What they had done was utterly fan-flippin-tastic. The best part was that anyone who knew that they had done it…i.e. my entire family, would never tell.

Now though, the novelty of their stunt had worn off and I remembered that there was a boy that I desperately needed to snog. So I pulled Scorpius along through the hysterical crowd and out of the Great Hall. The Entry Hall was empty and our shoes made loud clacking sounds that echoed off the stone walls. I could feel the pulse in my hand beating in rhythm with Scorpius'. I found our classroom, the one we went to the first night we kissed. Before he had even closed the door I jumped on him, eager and aching to kiss him fully. After a few blissfull moments, he gently nudged me away.

"Wha-what's wrong?" I asked, giving him the saddest pair of puppy dog eyes I could muster.

"Nothing, nothing at all," he replied gently. "But I do think that we should talk before this goes any further."

And talk we did. We talked through the evening and clear on to morning. No one came looking for us so it was clear we weren't missed. It was one of the best talks that I have ever had with anyone. We didn't just go on about our break up or about getting back together, we touched on those things of course, but it was much more than that. We talked about our parents. I shared with him what my mum said both the night that she was drunk and just this afternoon and he told me about the talk he had with his father. He told me that he didn't care what his family thought, that while he loved them they were the last people he was going to get love advice from. And the tragedy of it all was that he told me how he had liked me since third year.

_Third year!_

I smacked him on the arm at that point. He deserved it after all, making me wait this long to be with him. Hell, if I had known then what I knew now, perhaps life at Hogwarts would have progressed much differently. I couldn't complain though. From where I was standing, or rather sitting (against his chest, mind you) things were pretty fabulous! We could deal with our parents later and, we decided that no matter what, they would just have to cope because there wasn't a chance in hell either of us would give this up.

**A/N: And that's the end… or at least until the Epilogue is up. Thanks so much to all of you who have stuck by this story, even those who hate it. Thanks to my beta Dracosgem who makes sure that my run on sentences are to a minimum. **

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	30. Epilogue: That Special Day Has Finally A

Epilogue

Gazing into the mirror, I stared at my reflection in disbelief. I couldn't get over what was happening to me. For here _I _was getting married, as evidenced by the golden bridal robes cinching my waist and the large engagement rock on my finger.

But seriously..._me_? I always thought I would wait until I was thirty or so before getting married. Obviously that idea was a bust because now I was getting hitched at the ripe old age of 18. I felt as though I had just changed out of my graduation robes...right into this damned, figure-hugging frock. Nonetheless, I was excited beyond belief. Of course the wedding thing didn't hurt since I was with child. Not to say I wouldn't have gone and married him anyway, but a child really closes the deal, so to speak.

That was something else I never thought would happen. To other girls maybe, but not to me. I was smarter than that. Or at least I thought I was. Funny thing, I couldn't find the heart to be upset or even scared about having the baby. No, I mostly just felt happy, which was actually the weirdest part about the whole charade. I mean, how the hell could I be happy about being knocked up and married right after graduating from Hogwarts?

A quiet knock at my door followed by, "It's time" broke me out of my reverie. I looked up to see Lily standing at the door, dressed in her pale green bridesmaid's dress.

"You look amazing," she said, eyeing me up and down.

"I do, don't I?" I winked at Lily and followed her out the door.

It was at that point that everything else seemed to fade away. I mean, I heard the music playing and watched as the processional began but, really I hardly noticed much of anything. One second I was standing at the door to the garden at the Burrow and, the next I was being led down the aisle by my father. All I could see was _him_. I watched his reaction as I stepped out onto the lawn, his expression switching from nervous to beaming in less time than it took for me to take that first step.

He held my gaze the whole way, which was hard given that his face was going in and out of focus due to the pesky tears that formed in my eyes. I really did hate crying.

When my father presented me to him I smiled like a maniac. It was madness I was feeling- glorious madness.

I looked into his eyes and my heart literally skipped a beat. How cheesy is that? How did I spend all those years not looking into those eyes? They were amazing. I hoped our child would have eyes like his...with my hair, of course.

"Hey," he said as he took my hand.

"Hi," I whispered back.

And then it began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of friends and family to join this man, Albus Severus Potter, and this woman, Tabitha Adelaide Avery, in holy matrimony."

I swear the rest of it was a complete blur. Good thing his family has a pensieve. Though, I doubt I'll forget that kiss anytime soon. Who knew Griffyndor's were so adept at kissing? Guess that's why Rose was able to tolerate Seven for all those years.

"Congratulations!" Rose said as she handed me my bouquet. I didn't even remember giving it to her.

I nodded in response as Al pulled me down the aisle towards the Burrow. As we entered the house, he pulled my legs out from under me and carried me up four flights of stairs to one of the many bedrooms where he proceeded to snog my brains out.

"Oi you two love birds! Save it for the honeymoon!" I heard his plank of a brother shout up the stairs.

Al started to pull away but I just pulled him closer.

"Well when you put it that way," he growled, attacking my lips hungrily.

"Albus Severus Potter, you get your little arse down here and greet your guests! You'll have plenty of time for that later!"

We groaned in unison. There was no arguing with Ginny Potter, even I knew that.

Fixing my hair, I made an attempt to straighten his but, naturally that was pointless. We slipped out of the bedroom and headed back down the stairs hand in hand.

"Great Godric, you'd think you hadn't ever tasted the nectar before. It's not like she saved it for the wedding night there, Al."

Al made a grab for his wand but his mum stopped him with her own.

"None of that. Now James, you shut your mouth if you can't say anything proper to the happy couple."

"Yeah James, shut your gob," Al punctuated his statement by sticking out his tongue. Is it crazy that I still find myself in love with him?

"Don't be jealous, just because your not getting any from Adrianna…" I spoke up.

"Tabitha, that means you too," Ginny admonished.

"Sorry," I looked down at my feet in contrition.

Ginny pushed us out the door and back towards the party, which was being held under a tent attached to the back of the house. Apparently getting married at the Burrow was a Weasley tradition- one in which I didn't mind participating. In fact, I thought it was rather nice. Much better than my family's tradition of eloping with whatever skank you meet on holiday. Da's "woman of the second" was presently sitting by the bar, stroking Al's Uncle Bill's tie. I couldn't wait until his Aunt Fleur saw that. There was sure to be a bitch slap or four to come.

As we entered the tent, we were bombarded with well wishers. Being dutiful, we stayed and chatted with everyone. It was exhausting. I was dying to make an escape and visit with our friends, even if one of Al's friends included that Seven arsehole. At least he wasn't in the wedding party. I vetoed that idea immediately. It wouldn't do, what with Rose being the maid of honor and all. I could just imagine the scowling pictures in our wedding album if the two of them had been paired.

Rose was sitting with Scorpius and their heads were joined in conspiracy. I had to admit, I always thought that they would be the first of our group to tie the knot.

As if reading my mind, Al interrupted the two lovebirds by saying, "So, when you planning on making an honest woman of my cousin?"

"I'm already honest, thank you very much!" Rose said, her cheeks burning. "Besides, I want to finish up with some more schooling, maybe get myself situated as a potions master, before I go off and get married."

Scorpius grinned at her like a puppy. How in the world did she not notice his infatuation with her all that time? I'll admit, when it came to matters of the heart, Rose Weasley was damn clueless. I mean, she didn't know about me and Al until after we were dating for six months, and even then it was only because we told her.

"Is that your mum talking to Aunt Hemione?" Al pointed towards the bar and we all craned our necks to get a better look. I grabbed a glass of sparkling water as it floated by on an enchanted tray.

"No such luck," Scorpius replied as he squinted his eyes, "I think it might be Aunt Daphne."

"I'm surprised your parents even showed up," Rose added.

"Had to, didn't they? Mr. Avery and father do business together," he sighed. "Nope, there's mother and father in the corner with the Van Strauss'...too bad your dad does business with them too."

"Tell me about it," I groaned , glaring at Hollace with disgust. She was being chatted up by none other than Seven Deciles.

We all seemed to notice it at the same time and a surge of laughter burst forth. Good thing I'd already swallowed that sip of sparkling water or it might have come out my nose.

"Good luck to them both, cause they're gonna need it!" Rose raised a glass of champagne in a toast and we all clinked glasses.

It was time to move on and visit some of our other friends, so Al and I made our way over to Gates and Jocelyn. They were still sticking with the story that they were not an item. It was hard to doubt them but then, I couldn't help feeling there was more to it. I just wasn't sure if it was romanctic or not.

"So, where's Bertie?" Al asked as we lingered closer.

"Bertram is on the dance floor with that cousin of yours," Gates replied in an even tone.

"I thought that was over!" Al asked and glanced around in bemusement.

"I guess not..." Jocelyn shrugged.

"Did you see Bertram and Dom?" Six asked as she jumped into the seat next to Gates. "I thought she chucked him over Christmas!"

"No, he chucked her," I piped up.

I heard she told him he was too young for her," Al rejoined.

"Does it really matter? It looks like they're back on now." Gates always was a reasonable fellow.

"So, how about a dance?" Six asked Gates.

I noticed Jocelyn mask the scowl that played briefly over her face.

I knew it!

"Yeah, okay," Gates said and rose to take Six to the dance floor.

"I thought she still liked Gordie," Al asked in confusion.

"Why would you think that?" I asked. "They broke up forever ago."

"I dunno, he always said she was trying to get back together with him so I figured that meant she still fancied him."

"He wishes."

"It's really too bad, they were such a cute couple," Jocelyn added, though I doubt she would have cared much either way had Six not been dancing with Gates so closely.

"Um, yeah, well we should probably…" I pulled Al away as I did not want to be around a sulking Jocelyn. Not on my wedding day.

Besides, I wanted to dance with my husband. How weird. My husband. My husband the Gryffindor. I shook my head; it would take some time getting used to that.

As the night wore on our family and friends continued to give us their best. We had a shitload of gifts weighing down the gift table, one of which kept making banging noises. If it was from Lucy or Molly I would toss it immediately.

I noticed Gates switching between Six and Jocelyn all evening. I noticed that James tried to sneak off with Adrianna, but was completely unsuccessful. I noticed that Rose and Scorpius were as inseparable as ever in that sick annoying way I hoped Al and I might emulate. I noticed Hollace making a spectacle of herself with Seven on the dance floor, as did my da's date. But, best of all, I noticed that I was happier than I had ever been...and it was all because of a Gryffindor. Who would have thought?

Not me, certainly not me.

Fin

**A/N: Sorry for the delay... the Nugget came and I have been very busy juggling both him and Sproggy. Anyway... what did you think? Anyone see Tabby and Al getting together? I know a few of you had mentioned it as a possibility. **

**I know a lot of you wanted me to go more into detail with the Hermione/Ron/Draco/Astoria mess, but this story really was meant to focus soley on the children. I hope you are not too disapointed. **

**Anyway, thanks to all for reading and especially those who are reviewing for this little story. I hope you all enjoyed. A special thanks to dracosgem for being my beta even though I know how busy she is. **


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